The Baptism of Christ by Domenikos Theotokopoulos, the Cretan better known by his Spanish name, El Greco. Photo: Ian Waldie/Getty

I love this story! First, how it started, from The Guardian.

Domenikos Theotokopoulos may have left long ago but the people of Crete are forever trying to make up for his absence.

Today they hope to put right what they regard as a wrong when a hitherto unknown work by the artist, better known as El Greco, goes up for auction.

Buying the painting, entitled The Baptism of Christ, would help islanders reclaim a citizen too often identified with Spain.

"He is the most important person Crete has ever produced," says Manolis Vassilakis, who is overseeing fundraising for the panel at Heraklion town hall. "It upsets us that _ so many think he is from Spain."

The work, owned by a Spanish family since the 19th century and unexpectedly found in a brown enve lope last year, would be the second painting to return to El Greco's native island.

The first, an oil and tempera on wood entitled View of Mount Sinai, was bought at auction 14 years ago.

The Baptism of Christ is believed to have been painted in Venice, shortly after El Greco left Crete in 1567. Christie's describes it as a "scintillating example of the great artist's work at this most exciting, formative moment of his career".

For weeks, children, union members, businessmen and churchgoers have been raising funds for the work, with priests using sermons to call for people to help buy the painting. With banks also guaranteeing a loan, officials predict they will easily raise the £600,000 Christie's expects at the auction

They succeeded in buying it at auction in London, for £789,250.

This is one of my favorite works of El Greco.

[image from The Guardian]