The National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery of London are collecting money to buy two masterpieces, Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto, valued at 100 million British pounds ($180 million).
The paintings, described by British painter Lucian Freud as the "most beautiful pictures in the world," are part of the historic Bridgewater collection, which has been on permanent display since 1945.
The famous collection also includes three paintings by Raphael, eight paintings by Poussin, one painting by Rembrandt, and two more by Titian. Their combined market value is 300 million British pounds ($550 million).
The collection's owner, the Duke of Sutherland, the 5th Earl of Ellesmere, announced his intention to sell off the paintings to private collectors after a "prudent review" of the family assets.
The director general of Edinburgh's National Gallery of Scotland (NGS), John Leighton, said: "In our terms it would be like the Mona Lisa being taken out of the Louvre, or the Uffizi gallery in Florence losing its Botticellis."
If the museums manage to raise funds to buy Diana and Actaeon by December 31, the second painting, Diana and Callisto, will be offered for sale in four years time. The Titians would then alternate between Edinburgh and London.
