Looking for Raphael

         Looking for Raphael

Suzanne Marsh

1939

Dawn was just breaking, the sunrise a brilliant pink, Prince Augustyor began preparations to move several famous paintings from the family’s museum. His plan was to hide several museum pieces before the Nazi Gestapo confiscated them.

“We must hurry there is much sake. Be sure to pack the Portrait of a Young Man, a very

valuable painting by Raphael. We can wall the important paintings at Sieniawa Palace.

The lesser works can be hidden in the cellars. I must protect the museum pieces, the

legacy of my family depends upon this. My wife and I are attempting to go to Spain

before Hitler arrests us, therefore Aleksy and Karol since you are going to remain here

to protect the estate; I place another burden upon you; if the Gestapo find us they will

arrest us so we are going into hiding until we can get out of Poland.”

Aleksy continued to haul the lesser works to the cellars; then the bombs began to rain down on the castle. Karol aided the Prince and Princess in preparing to flee. Spain was the safest place for them, and the Nazi reputation for murdering Poles was well known.

Two days later the Gestapo arrived unannounced; the Prince and Princess were under arrest:

“Prince Augustyor, Princess Dolores you are under arrest. You will both come with me

now.” The prince looked aghast at his wife feeling completely helpless. There were no

choices nor options. However, the prince had made contact with relatives in Spain and Italy, knowing that those relatives would find them to be exiled. They could return to Poland after the war. The black Mercedes 260D lurched forward with the Gestapo agent, the prince, and the princess. Taken to Gestapo headquarters Ulica Pomorska Street in Krakow; the prince and princess were pushed and shoved into the building. The agent in charge tried to be polite to the prince and princess but failed; only because the prince would not cooperate. The young couple was placed in a small cell where they sat for hours. The prince held the princess’ hand telling her they would be released as she sobbed. Like every bureaucratic machine things moved slowly; however King Juan Carlos was working fervently to have the two released. The day arrived when they were released, taken to the airport, put on a plane for Spain, and informed they could not return to Poland. Though both were relieved to be out of the hands of the Gestapo, they could help but think of all their countrymen, who suffered under Nazi rule.

September 18, 1939 Aleksy and Karol were hard at work inside the castle when they heard approaching cars, they looked at each other: “Gestapo, they have come to loot the castle, we must hide the princess’ jewelry and diaries of the both.” The Gestapo poured in through the main entrance, destroying priceless vases, furniture, glassware, and silver and gold pieces. Someone had told them there were valuable paintings walled in the cellar. The Gestapo agent told Karol to open the cellar doors, so they could search the basement. Karol thought they were no better than common thieves. He did as ordered, the prince had told them both that if the Gestapo appeared, they would do what was necessary to keep their lives. He thought about the prince and how they had walled the paintings carefully, so no one would notice the difference in the walls. The Gestapo using torches toured the cellar, the agent noted a slight difference in the wall:

“Over here, get the axes and shovels, hurry!”

Karol felt his heart sink, behind that last panel was the Portrait of a Young Man, a work of Raphael, a valuable painting. Karol knowing that he could not stop the Gestapo, stood silently by as they tore the walls down, finding several encased paintings. Pleased with their find they left just as quickly as they arrived. The Gestapo agent under obligation took the paintings to Hans Frank Governor General of German Occupied Poland. Hans Frank like many Nazi looters was collecting paintings. He asked the Gestapo agent to bring fine paintings to him. He considered himself a connoisseur of fine paintings, he was more than pleased when the agent produced Portrait of a Young Man. He now had a Raphael which he displayed at Walwel castle where he lived with his family. He had waited a very long time to acquire paintings of great worth. As the allies began winning the war Hans Frank had the Portrait of a Young Man removed to Walwel castle, sending it directly to his home in Neuhaus Schliersee. He had plans for that particular piece, he knew he could sell it to the highest bidder if things went south. He refused to believe that the Reich was falling, his days of rich living were coming to a close. The American Army was pushing forward, the British and Poland’s feared neighbor the USSR under the leadership of Josef Stalin.

He did not want to stay in Poland and be captured by the Red Army, he escaped to Germany where he hid at his villa with his wife and children. Late one afternoon he unpacked the Portrait of a Young Man, and he realized he could not be caught with it, the Americans were quickly approaching. He began to plan, he had to disguise the painting so the Americans would not realize what it was and how much it was worth, it was his alone, he earned it for his years of service to the Nazi party. He planned to have the painting hidden then he had another idea, a better plan.

Hans sent for an artist he knew who could keep a secret. He began by purchasing pallets and paints hiding them in an old storeroom. The the artist arrived several days later, he knew what Frank had in mind; there was one thing to consider; once he finished where the Portrait of a Young Man be hidden safely. To an artist covering it with another painting was a sacrilege but in this case, he thought Frank was doing the right thing, protecting it from the Americans and or Russians. Frank met the artist at his front door, not wishing his wife to know what he was about to do. He showed the artist to a small room where the pallets and paints were. The artist removed his coat, and rolled up his shirt sleeves; before he began he ran his hand over The Portrait of a Young Man; and thought to himself: ‘What a waste’. He began to paint with fervor, it took several weeks to finish the job, but once it was done no one would recognize The Portrait of a Young Man that was now Wind in the Willows. Satisfied with his work Frank shot the artist to be sure no one would find his treasure or talk about it.

Author’s note: this is pure historical fiction, no one actually knows what happened to Raphael. Hans Frank was tried and hung for crimes against humanity at Nuremberg Germany.