A group of nuns are at the centre of an row about the "Blundell Marbles" - Roman sculptures that adorn the Liverpool region stately home they run as a charity.
Around 100 roman marble statues and busts adorn Ince Blundell Hall, in Merseyside, where Augustinian Canonesses operate a care home for the elderly and terminally ill.
Landowner Henry Blundell and his family amassed a 600-strong collection of Roman figures in the 18th century and much of that was handed to the National Museum Liverpool (NML) in 1959.
But the remainer were left in place in niches at Ince Blundell Hall and in a special garden temple that Henry Blundell had erected in its grounds.
A planning application has now been put to the local council for consent to "remove, repair and replace" the #10 million-worth of sculptures, currently in situ at the Grade II listed hall on North Merseyside.
The nuns claim the marbles are in dire need of conservation due to weathering and at risk of criminal damage.
However, art enthusiast Charles Sebag-Montefiore has expressed his concern that, should they be removed, the sculptures could be sold to the highest bidder.
Mr Sebag-Montefiore, joint secretary of the Society of Dilettanti, a group who work to preserve ancient Greek and Roman art, said he was unaware of any attempt to restore the marbles in their original setting.
He fears the sale of the collection, one of only three surviving from the 18th century, would destroy their heritage.
Charles Sebag-Montefiore said: "Before any final step is taken - such as a signed contract with an auction house to disperse them - we think there ought to be a period where interested parties can talk to see if other solutions can be found that actually preserve the heritage instead of destroying it."
And as that row rumbles on there is a potential further dispute on the horizon over the ownership of the Blundell Collection statues kept at Liverpool museums.
National Museums Liverpool (NML) claim their predecessors were gifted the marbles by the Blundell family in 1959.
An NML spokesman said: "We are aware of the proposed sale of this collection by the Augustinian Order.
"We are investigating the issue of ownership, which is complicated and stretches back several decades."
However, the Augustinian Canonesses have reacted angrily to claims they plan to hawk the marbles, and insist they have "no immediate plans" to sell them.
A spokesperson for Ince Blundell Hall said: "There have been a lot of lies and inaccuracies levelled at us. We have no immediate plans to sell the sculptures.
"We put the application into the council as we are concerned at the poor state of some of the figures.
"Ideally, we would like them restored and replaced in situ, although, it may be necessary to create replicas as a means of conservation.
"But our primary concern is to care for terminally ill patients, and all this business has upset the whole ambience of the home.
"The matter is now in the hands of our lawyers."
The planning application has been backed by English Heritage, who said it was in the "best interests" if the Blundell Marbles were removed and replaced with replicas.
A spokesperson for English Heritage said: "English Heritage's current advice to Sefton Council is that it would be in the best interests of the marbles if they were removed for conservation and replaced by high quality replicas.
"However, as it would be harmful to the collection as a whole if these items were sold and dispersed, we have further advised the council that a condition should be put on any consent that the antiquities should not be removed for one year so that there is an opportunity for funds to be raised to allow public acquisition."
A Sefton Council spokesperson confirmed: "An application has been received for listed building consent for the removal, repair and replacement of fixtures and fittings.
"A planning decision is due to be made by 8 February, having considered advice and representations from a number of sources."
geeski, Aintree around 4 months, 2 weeks ago