Priya Kapoor
The Wedding Feast at Cana, painted by Paolo Veronese, is a large-format oil painting that measures 6.77m by 9.94m. It is considered the largest painting displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The painting depicts the biblical story of the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine. With its exceptional dimensions, the painting is a masterpiece that showcases the stylistic ideal of compositional harmony.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Paolo Veronese |
| Year | 1562-1563 |
| Height | 6.77 m |
| Width | 9.94 m |
| Area | 67.29 m2 |
| Style | Mannerist |
| Genre | Representational painting |
| Subject | Biblical story of the Wedding at Cana |
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What You'll Learn
The painting's size
The Wedding Feast at Cana by Paolo Veronese is a large-format oil painting measuring 6.77 metres by 9.94 metres (or 32'7" by 22'3") and covering 67.29 square metres (or 750 square feet) of canvas. It is the largest painting on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, and one of the most iconic Mannerist paintings.
The painting was commissioned in 1562 by Benedictine monks to decorate the refectory of their new monastery on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. The contract stipulated that Veronese would be paid 324 ducats, his living costs would be covered, and he would be provided with a barrel of wine. It also specified the use of high-quality pigments, including ultramarine, for the blue areas. Ultramarine pigments were the most expensive at the time, made from the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli, found only in Afghanistan.
The painting was completed in 1563, and hung in the monastery's refectory until 1797 when it was plundered by Napoleon's troops during the Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars. The large canvas was cut in half for transport and reassembled in Paris. It has remained in the Louvre ever since, except for a brief period in 2019 when the room it was displayed in was renovated.
The painting depicts a crowded banquet scene with around 130 figures, including a representation of Veronese himself as a musician in a white tunic, playing a viola da braccio. The scene is meant to be viewed from below, as the bottom edge was 2.50 metres from the refectory floor. The composition combines the Venetian school's philosophy of colour with the compositional disegno of the High Renaissance, resulting in a vibrant and intricate work.
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The painting's history
The Wedding Feast at Cana, by Paolo Veronese, is a large-format oil painting that measures 6.77m by 9.94m. It is currently displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris and is the largest painting in the museum.
The painting was originally preserved in the Benedictine convent of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. It was commissioned in 1562 by monks who wanted a painting to decorate the new refectory. The sponsors demanded that the work be monumental, occupying an entire wall. Veronese was 34 years old when he received the commission, and he completed the work in 15 months, probably with the help of his workshop and his brother, Benedetto Caliari.
The subject matter of the painting is drawn from the Gospel of John and depicts Jesus' first public miracle: turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana, Galilee. The choice of this biblical scene for a monastery dining hall was intentional, as the theme of the miraculous provision of wine was particularly appropriate for a monastic refectory. The painting combines stylistic and pictorial elements from the Venetian school's philosophy of colourito (priority of colour) with the compositional disegno (drawing) of the High Renaissance.
In 1797, soldiers of Napoleon's French Revolutionary Army plundered the painting as war booty during the Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars. The huge canvas was rolled and cut to be transported by boat to Paris. Upon Napoleon's defeat in 1815, the Treaty of Vienna stipulated the return of looted artworks. However, French officials argued that the painting's fragile condition made its return journey too risky. Instead, France offered a painting by Charles LeBrun as compensation, which the Austrians accepted.
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The painting's location
The painting "The Wedding Feast at Cana" by Paolo Veronese is currently located in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France. It is the most expansive picture in the museum's paintings collection, with a pictorial area of 67.29 square metres. The painting was originally commissioned for the Benedictine Monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, where it hung in the refectory from the 16th to the 18th centuries. In 1797, the painting was plundered by soldiers of Napoleon's French Revolutionary Army during the Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars. Today, a facsimile of the painting can be found at its original location in Venice, which is now the seat of the Giorgio Cini Foundation and has been transformed into a cultural centre.
Another painting with the same name by Giuseppe Maria Crespi is located in the Art Institute of Chicago. This painting was commissioned by Giovanni Ricci in Bologna, Italy, around 1686. It was later owned by Filippo Marchesini of Strada Maggiore, Bologna, and then by Dr. Giacomelli of Bologna. The painting was then located in the Palazzo Sampieri in Bologna until 1830, after which it was owned by Maurice Marignane of Paris and C. Marshall Spink of London before being acquired by the Art Institute of Chicago in 1956.
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The painting's artist
The Wedding at Cana is a painting with a rich history, having been created by the Italian artist Paolo Veronese in the 16th century. The painting, also known as The Wedding Feast at Cana, is a representational work of art that depicts the biblical story of the Marriage at Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-11).
Veronese was a master of the Mannerist style, and his canvas captures the stylistic ideal of compositional harmony practised by the likes of Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo during the High Renaissance. The painting measures 6.77 metres by 9.94 metres, making it a monumental work that occupies an entire display wall in the Louvre Museum, Paris, where it is currently displayed.
The creation of this artwork was commissioned, with specific instructions stipulated in the Benedictine contract. Veronese was tasked with representing the "history of the banquet of Christ's miracle at Cana, in Galilee," and he was to include as many human figures as could be accommodated, using optimal colours, including ultramarine, a deep blue pigment derived from lapis lazuli.
Veronese, assisted by his brother, Benedetto Caliari, completed the painting in 1563, and it has since become renowned for its artistic prowess with perspective and architecture. The painting's large format and crowded banquet scene are meant to be viewed from below, enhancing the sense of grandeur and depth.
The artist himself is said to have included himself in the painting as the musician in a white tunic, playing a viola da braccio. He is accompanied by other prominent painters of the Venetian school, such as Jacopo Bassano, Tintoretto, and Titian.
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The painting's subject matter
The Wedding Feast at Cana is a painting by Paolo Veronese, commissioned in 1562 by the Black Monks of the Order of Saint Benedict (OSB) to decorate the wall of the refectory (dining hall) of the Benedictine Monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. The painting depicts the biblical story of the Wedding at Cana, at which Jesus turned water into wine (his first public miracle).
The painting is a large-format oil painting, executed in the Mannerist style of the late Renaissance. It combines stylistic and pictorial elements from the Venetian school's philosophy of colour (colourito) with the compositional disegno (drawing) of the High Renaissance. Veronese's depiction of the crowded banquet scene is meant to be viewed from below. The painting includes over 130 human figures, with the upper half dominated by a cloudy sky and Graeco-Roman architecture. Some notable figures speculated to be included in the painting are Eleanor of Austria, Francis I of France, Mary I of England, Suleiman the Magnificent, and Vittoria Colonna.
The painting has a secular aspect, with the presence of Suleiman the Magnificent, other turbaned people, and a parrot in the foreground, glorifying Venice's relationship with the Middle East. The choice of the biblical scene for a monastery dining hall was intentional, as the theme of the miraculous provision of wine was appropriate for a monastic refectory.
The painting was plundered by Napoleon's army in 1797 and moved to the Louvre Museum, where it remains today. A facsimile of the painting was placed at its original location in Venice in 2007.
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Frequently asked questions
The painting is 6.77m tall and 9.94m wide. It is the largest painting in the Louvre Museum, Paris.
The painting was created by Paolo Veronese (1528-88), an Italian artist considered one of the most prominent painters of the Renaissance.
The painting depicts a banquet scene with around 130 figures, illustrating the biblical story of the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine.
