Artwork
Die Hochzeit zu Kana
Die Hochzeit zu Kana is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Nicolas Vleughels. It dates from 1728 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1728 by French painter Nicolas Vleughels, *Die Hochzeit zu Kana* is an oil work now housed in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek. Executed during Vleughels’s tenure as director of the French Academy in Rome, the painting presents a bustling banquet scene rendered in the light‑hearted Rococo idiom that characterized early eighteenth‑century French art.
Subject & Meaning
The composition illustrates the biblical episode of the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine.
The composition illustrates the biblical episode of the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine. While the narrative focus is theological, the artist emphasizes the human dimension of the feast: a crowded table laden with bread, fruit and dishes, a serene figure in blue, and a mixture of celebratory and disordered guests, suggesting both the miracle’s abundance and the chaos of earthly revelry.
Technique & Style
Vleughels employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, juxtaposing a luminous banquet surface against darker surrounding figures to heighten drama. The Rococo palette—soft pastels softened by bright highlights—creates a sense of movement, while the inclusion of architectural elements such as a distant tower and ornate columns adds depth and a theatrical backdrop to the scene.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered the collection of the Alte Pinakothek, where it remains on display. Its presence in the museum reflects the broader acquisition of French Rococo works by German institutions during the nineteenth century, contributing to the museum’s diverse European holdings.
Context
Vleughels’s directorship at the French Academy in Rome (1724–1742) positioned him as a conduit for artistic exchange between France and Italy. His work on *Die Hochzeit zu Kana* exemplifies this cross‑cultural dialogue, merging French decorative sensibilities with Italian compositional traditions, and illustrates the academy’s role in shaping the visual language of the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolas Vleughels (6 December 1668, Paris – 11 December 1737, Rome) was a French painter.
The Wedding at Cana
The Marriage at Cana
Last Supper
Dinner at the House of the Pharisee
Gleichnis vom reichen Mann und dem armen Lazarus
Christ in the House of Simon the Pharisee
The Last Supper
Il Contento: Mercury abducts Contento, so that Discontent remains alone on the world under mankind
Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples
The Last Supper
The Last Supper
Die Hochzeit zu Kana