Auckland Castle is set to host a captivating new art exhibit showcasing rarely seen European masterpieces this summer.

From July 6, works by 17th-century Dutch and Flemish artists such as Rembrandt, David Teniers, and Paulus Potter will be displayed alongside Spanish, French, and Italian masterpieces.

The Bishop Trevor Gallery, created by the affluent 18th-century Bishop of Durham Richard Trevor, will serve as the venue.

Known for his fondness for the arts, the Bishop, also known as 'Saint Durham' amassed a significant collection, including Francisco de Zurbarán’s 'Jacob and his Twelve Sons' series.

(Image: Andrea Belvedere)

This series, which was bought in 1756, continues to be a cherished part of the Long Dining Room at the castle.

The forthcoming exhibition employs Zurbarán’s paintings as the inception point, guiding visitors on a voyage through seventeenth-century Europe.

Viewers will be presented with an array of art forms from Zurbarán's contemporaries.

Diverse artistic genres from large-scale Biblical interpretations to quotidian Dutch scenes will provide distinct national painting approaches, whilst also spotlighting their shared influences.

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Clare Baron head of curatorial at The Auckland Project said: "In an age before modern technology and modern transport, it is easy to assume that artists worked in isolation from their counterparts in the rest of Europe.

"The reality was very different.

"The most successful artists of the seventeenth century were well travelled, moving between cities and across borders to seek work or fulfil commissions for powerful patrons.

"And if they could not travel themselves, artists exchanged ideas through prints, books, and letters.

"Many took the opportunity to seek inspiration whilst abroad, studying the works of art that filled the palaces of Europe: be that the collection of Philip IV in his new palace of Buen Retiro outside Madrid, the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II in Prague, King Louis XIV in Paris or the great collections of popes and cardinals in and around Rome."

The European Masterpieces exhibition will continue until October 6.

For details about tickets, timings or prices, visit the Auckland Project website.