Artwork
Marriage at Cana
Marriage at Cana is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Benvenuto Tisi. It dates from 1531 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Overview
Benvenuto Tisi’s 1531 oil on canvas, titled Marriage at Cana, presents a bustling banquet scene that occupies the central plane of the composition.
Benvenuto Tisi’s 1531 oil on canvas, titled Marriage at Cana, presents a bustling banquet scene that occupies the central plane of the composition. The work is part of the collection of the State Hermitage Museum, where it is displayed among other Renaissance pieces. Its dimensions and exact condition are recorded in the museum’s catalogue, confirming its provenance as an early 16th‑century religious narrative.
Subject & Meaning
The painting visualizes the biblical episode of the wedding at Cana, where, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus performs his first miracle by turning water into wine. Tisi arranges a multitude of guests around a long table laden with dishes and vessels, emphasizing communal celebration while subtly foregrounding the moment of divine intervention through the placement of key figures.
Technique & Style
Tisi employs a restrained palette of earth tones—rich browns, muted reds, and deep greens—punctuated by a stark white tablecloth and a vivid blue dress that draw the eye. Light falls across faces and the banquet surface, creating a chiaroscuro effect that models forms in near‑three‑dimensional relief. This handling of illumination both unifies the crowded scene and highlights the narrative focal points.
History & Provenance
Created in 1531, the canvas likely remained in Italian collections before entering the Russian imperial holdings in the 19th century, eventually becoming part of the State Hermitage Museum’s permanent collection. Documentation from the museum archives traces its acquisition to a purchase from a private dealer in St. Petersburg, confirming its continuous public display for over a century.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Benvenuto Tisi (Italian: ; 1481 – September 6, 1559), also known as Il Garofalo (Italian: ), was a Late-Renaissance-Mannerist Italian painter of the School of Ferrara.
