Veronese's 'The Wedding at Cana': A Masterpiece of Scale and Color at the Louvre
Paolo Veronese's colossal painting 'The Wedding at Cana' (1562–1563) hangs in the Louvre's Salle 711, facing the Mona Lisa, making it perhaps the most ignored masterpiece. Commissioned for the refectory of the Monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, the 6.77 x 9.94 m oil on canvas depicts the biblical wedding with over 130 figures, including Jesus and Mary at center, the bride and groom on the far left, and portraits of Veronese himself, Titian, and Pietro Aretino. The contract, signed June 6, 1562, stipulated 324 Venetian ducats (approx. €130,000 today) and use of 'optimi colori' including expensive ultramarine from lapis lazuli. Seized in 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars, it was deposited in the Louvre in 1798. Director Vivant Denon falsely claimed the canvas was too fragile to return, keeping it in Paris. The painting features jewel-like tones of light blue, sea green, lemon yellow, rose, and violet, and includes a cat, six dogs, and a green parrot.
Key facts
- Paolo Veronese painted 'The Wedding at Cana' in 1562–1563.
- The painting measures 6.77 m x 9.94 m (22.2 ft x 32.6 ft).
- It is the largest painting in the Louvre collection.
- The subject is Jesus's first miracle of turning water into wine.
- The contract was signed on June 6, 1562, for 324 Venetian ducats.
- Veronese included self-portraits of himself, Titian, and Pietro Aretino.
- The painting was seized in 1797 and deposited in the Louvre in 1798.
- Vivant Denon prevented its return by claiming it was too fragile.
Entities
Artists
- Paolo Veronese
- Titian
- Pietro Aretino
- Benedetto Caliari
- Andrea Palladio
- Vivant Denon
Institutions
- Louvre
- Monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Venice
- Italy
- Afghanistan
- Middle East