The following is an article taken from the "Friends of New Norcia" newsletter no 20.

"I went weak at the knees", confessed Mrs Joy Legge, New Norcia's Curator of Paintings, when she stood looking at the large tapestry over the altar in the Pope's private Chapel at the Vatican.  Not so much because of its beauty but because it confirmed that, back at New Norcia, the Benedictine Community had in its collection a painting produced in the workshop of Raphael, one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance.

Several years ago a visiting Italian art historian had suggested that the painting was a very important work, in fact, a work by Giulio Romano, a pupil of Raphael.  More recently Betty Churcher, former Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia and later Director of the National Gallery of Australia, came to New Norcia to see the painting and encouraged further research.  Betty is involved in the production of a new series for the ABC about European masterpieces in Australian collections and wanted to feature "our" head.  Somehow floating around in the collective consciousness of New Norcia was the idea that the painting was a preliminary work for a tapestry at the Vatican.  Not a strong lead to say the least.

Aided by the Australian Ambassador to Italy and armed with ex-patriate art-lover and fluent Italian-speaker Anne Ahearn, Joy made an appointment  with the Vatican's curator of tapestries, Dr Anna Maria de Strobel, Tapestry Curator and Prof. Arnold Nesselrath a Director of the Musei de Gallerie Pontificie, Vaticano.  On presenting a slide of the painting to these two specialists they immediately recognized the image and led the increasingly excited ladies through the Pope's private apartments to the Capella Paolina.  There on the right above the altar was a tapestry entitled Descent of the Holy Spirit.  And on the centre right of the scene was the New Norcia head.  As mentioned earlier, Mrs Legge's legs went weak.

 As things turned out the curators were knowledgeable about the tapestry and the other nine hanging in the chapel.  They had been commissioned as a series by Popes Leo X (1475-1521) and Clement VII (1478-1534) and had been woven in Brussels in 1524-1531 in the workshop of Peter van Aelst. The scenes for the tapestries are based on "The Allegory of Religion". Tempera drawings on paper were produced by the circle of Raphael and his pupil Giulio Romano in Rome and Brussels during the early sixteenth century.

     However, more extensive and detailed information was available.  Prof Nesselrath suggested that as Joy was going to London she call on Dr Charles Hope from the Warburg Institute, University of London, who earlier had written his PhD on the Scuola Nuova tapestries in the Vatican Museum. Providence seemed to be smiling on Joy's quest as the following day she met with Hugo Chapman, Assistant Keeper, Department of Prints and Drawings, the British Museum, London, a specialist in Renaissance drawings. He was able to show her another drawing from the tapestry series in the Museum's collection. Comparisons are odious but less so when he commented. "Oh! Bugger, bugger, bugger your drawing is much better than ours!!!"  He also explained that surviving fragments of preparatory works for the other tapestries were held by such exalted institutions as the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.

But how did such an amazing work find its way to New Norcia.  While its early history was always shrouded in mystery, the Archives at New Norcia revealed that it had been purchased at the Joel's Auction in Melbourne in 194 1   by Fr Eugene Perez, a monk of New Norcia, who was studying art at the Gallery school.  Fr Eugene purchased the painting along with several others together with a collection of frames for the modest sum of twelve guineas.   The paintings and the frames had come from the National Gallery of Victoria where they had been de-accessioned as surplus to requirements. It's interesting to note that in 1999 the Herald Chair of Fine Art at Melbourne University, Prof. Jaynie Anderson gave her inaugural lecture on the sins of de-accessioning and used the New Norcia head as a prime example. Friends of several years standing may  also remember that the de-accessioned frames have also proved to be shrewd purchases. They  originally housed famous paintings by Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Walter Withers and now that good curatorial practice strongly encourages works to be returned to their original frames where possible, New Norcia has found itself in a strong negotiating position. Over the last few years, as they say, restoration of works damaged in New Norcia's Great Art Robbery of 1986 have been partly funded by Fr Eugene's frame purchases.

Records at the National Gallery of Victoria show that the New Norcia painting found its way into the State's collection as a bequest upon the death of Canon John Edward Bromley (1809-1889). Bromley was a prominent Anglican clergyman in 19th-century Melbourne - in fact Bromley Street, South Yarra is named after him.

More thorough research over the last few months has revealed a further fascinating chapter in the long history of this painting. In the 17th-century it belonged to the famous English portrait painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds. Reynolds was an avid collector and marked the paintings in his collection with a small black seal. This mark can be seen on the New Norcia painting in the centre right of the work. It seems that Sir Joshua was something of an improver, and in addition to housing the work in its present heavy gold frame he also carried out some minor touching up and added new circumference sections to the work from Raphael's workshop. While the latter are not practices now to be encouraged, the Reynold's connection certainly contributes to the interest and importance of the painting.

Over its almost 60 years at New Norcia this painting has been given a number of unofficial titles: Study in Distemper and Head of St John the Baptist. Since the discovery of its true provenance there have been further titles suggested - Head of St John the Apostle and even St John the Evangelist. Of the Johns, St John the Apostle is possible, but given the symmetry of the composition it is more likely that he is to be found on the left-hand side of the Virgin Mary opposite St Peter. In the interest of truth, especially in relation to matters pertaining to New Norcia, Fr Abbot has strongly suggested that the painting be given the non-specific appellation, Head of an Apostle. And following holy obedience - so it is. Besides, what's in a name, given the eminence of the artists involved and the fascination of the story?