by Alexandra Tuschka
Where should one look first? To the men in the foreground who are pouring the wine? To the beautifully decorated ladies at the right edge of the table? To the musicians who provide the musical background to the hustle and bustle? To the servants behind the balustrade? Or to the frontally shown Jesus in the center of the picture? Through a bright halo and his posture, he seems as if enraptured in the midst of the lively spectacle.
Veronese's attention to detail is unmistakable in this large-scale work, including his penchant for ostentatious architectural settings.
132 people can be counted in this painting. And Jesus is surrounded by his mother and disciples. The patrons of the painting, the Benedictine monks of the monastery of San Giorgio can be seen on the right of the picture. But Veronese also hid two fellow painters in the picture - he portrayed Titian and Tintoretto at the instruments of the chapel.
Paolo Veronese - The Wedding at Cana
Oil on canvas, 1563, 660 x 990 cm, Louvre in Paris
