THE remarkable story of a forgotten painting of the Last Supper, hanging “dark and unloved” in Ledbury parish church for over a century, is told in a fascinating booklet launched this month.

In the early 1900s St Michael & All Angels was presented with the massive work, believed to have been an Italian Renaissance altarpiece, in a style described as ‘after Titian’. Now 109 years later, hundreds of hours of restoration have given the painting a new brilliance, and importantly a new status.

Since its unveiling in St Michael & All Angels by Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Rev Richard Frith, descendants of Waldyve Martin, who gifted the painting to the church in 1909, have travelled from British Columbia to see it for themselves. In an extract from the vestry record book at that time it records that Mr Martin’s gift was given on condition that if it was ever removed from the church it would be returned to him or his heirs.

While the search continues to formally identify the painter or painters, Polidoro da Lanciano is among the favourites. There are even suggestions that some brushwork might bear traces of his old friend, Tintoretto.

In ‘A Discovery…and a Mystery’, Herefordshire artist and art restorer Ronald Moore has given an account of the huge restoration project as well as the “circumstances surrounding its creation”. Delivering a lecture after the unveiling, he said the Italian Renaissance painting posed a ‘most complicated detective story in the field of art’. He told his wide-eyed audience that the painting was the work of several hands, some of them “artists of exceptional talent”.

Now known to be an original, The Last Supper is one of two depictions in Ledbury church. Donated by Waldyve Martin on behalf of his family, who founded Martin’s Bank, the painting had aroused little interest in later years having become dark and over-varnished. But early in 2018 the Friends of Ledbury Church received enough encouragement to proceed with its restoration.

As a highly regarded art historian from the Courthauld Institute of Art, Mr Moore and his research assistant Patricia Kenny embarked on more than 1,000 hours of research in efforts to determine which artist, or artists created the painting. Their procedure has been praised by leading Italian art historian, Professor Alessandra Zamperini from Verona University.

In his book Mr Moore concludes: “Given the total lack of documents on our Last Supper (although we are pursuing sources in England now) nor any comparable painting it is impossible for anyone to be definitive on this mysterious canvas.

“Six major art historians have reached no conclusion but one has agreed with our proposal of Polidoro da Lanciano.”

He felt it could be “tentatively” attributed to Polidoro, Titian’s assistant, to his studio and probably two other important painters, possibly Polidoro’s old friend, Tintoretto.

“I think therefore that this Ledbury Last Supper may be the lost Last Supper of Polidoro…and friends.”

*The booklet is available at £5 from Ledbury Parish Church