In 1923 the NGV paid a high price for this work, since then, the authenticity of the work has been questioned and still the debate rages.

Buying a painting by Sebastiano Ricci proved to be a good deal for the NGV when a tip off showed the work to be that of the master Tiepolo.

This very dramatic 17th century painting was once part of the high altar in a church in the Spanish district in Rome. A shift in taste saw it removed and now it hangs in Melbourne.