A PAINTING, owned by a County Durham museum, which was bought for £8 has been loaned to the National Gallery in London.
The painting, which belongs to the the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, will feature in an exhibition about the work of El Greco.
El Greco painted Saint Peter in Penitence, also known as the Tears of Saint Peter, in the 1580s.
It was purchased for the Bowes Museum in 1869 by a reluctant John Bowes for just 200 francs (approximately £8) as El Greco's work was little appreciated at the time.
Amy Barker, keeper of fine arts at the Bowes Museum, said: "We are delighted to have the painting in such an important exhibition, the National Gallery and the Metropolitan Museum have collected pictures from all over the world to make a comprehensive survey of the artist's work."
The exhibition is the first in the UK of work by El Greco, was born Domenikos Theotocopoulos, in Crete, in 1541.
El Greco, which means The Greek, was one of the most original painters of his time and influenced many 20th Century painters including Cezanne, Picasso and Jackson Pollock.
He was soon forgotten after his death in 1614 but was rescued from obscurity in the 19th Century by an enthusiastic group of collectors, artists and critics.
The exhibition is now open and runs until May 23, 2004.
Published: 03/04/2004
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