HEREFORDSHIRE’S finest church has proved to be home to a “unique” masterpiece of the Last Supper, experts have discovered.

St Michael’s and All Angels in Ledbury, claimed by Pevsner to be the finest parish church in the county, is highly unusual in having two versions of the famous scene. A copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s depiction forms the altarpiece, but a second 16th century painting on the west wall by a different artist is believed to be an original.

Artist and conservator Ronald Moore, who restored the ‘Last Supper’ copy at Ledbury 10 years ago, has been commissioned to restore the spectacular 13-foot long painting, believed to have once been an altarpiece, and possibly brought to this country as a result of a wealthy Herefordshire family’s grand tour of the continent. Research to date suggests that the mystery painting is closely related to the workshop of Paulo Caliari, who was known as Veronese. Intensive studies by Mr Moore and his research assistant Patricia Kenny have so far indicated that the work was completed 60 years after da Vinci’s famous painting.

“This is turning out to be far more important than we realised,” said Mr Moore. “It’s probably mid-16th century from an Italian Renaissance painter who was aware of Leonardo’s Last Supper in Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

“I knew we were on to something of a masterpiece,” he said.

“Research to date suggests that the mystery painting is closely related to the workshop of Paulo Caliari.”

The artist was one of the great Venetian Renaissance artists comparable with Titian and Tintoretto and known for his large scale paintings of religion and mythology.

“Many Veronese paintings contain different styles so dating is difficult,” said Mr Moore. “The links with Veronese place the painting in the Veneto, that is the figure of the boy on the right and the Supper in the House at Cana are remarkably similar.”

It was common for two assistants to be included. “Prior to this time it bordered on heresy to remove at all from the traditional Leonardo da Vinci form with 12 disciples – and no animals or additional figures,” he explained.

Several ‘pentimento’ – visible traces of earlier painting beneath layers of paint – show that this is an original “very rare” Last Supper, said Mr Moore.

The connection with Veronese seems “likely” he believed. “Our painter knew Paolo’s work well and may well have been involved in some of Veronese’s major compositions.”

Due to the painter’s popularity at the time, demand for his work would have been “huge”, so assistants often finished his commissions.

Mr Moore is currently showing his own paintings in a major solo exhibition at Hereford’s Applestore Gallery in Rockfield Road. His work is also on show at Oriel Gallery, Crickhowell, and in the recent international John Singer Sargent open art competition, his Birmingham canal scene won a highly commended award.