The Marriage at Cana — Master of the Catholic Kings

The Marriage at Cana

Master of the Catholic Kings · c. 1495/1497
National Gallery of Art, Washington

A companion to “Christ among the Doctors” from the same altarpiece, painted in Castile in the 1490s. The wedding is set at a long table in a grand hall of the painter’s own time, with musicians on a balcony and a kitchen glimpsed through the arches.

Mary joins her hands, Jesus raises two fingers, and a man in green offers a bowl of red wine. In front, a servant points down at the six jars on the tiled floor. The bride and groom, at the right, are dressed like a royal couple.

From the text

A wedding at Cana; Jesus’ mother was there (John 2:1)

“Do whatever He tells you” — said to the servants (John 2:5)

Six stone water jars (John 2:6)

The master of the banquet tasted the water that had become wine (John 2:9)

The artist’s own

The guests and servants in the court fashions of the 1490s

Musicians playing long trumpets from a balcony

Latin words embroidered on the tablecloth and on Jesus’ hem

A small dog at the servants’ feet

Details

Mary

In a white head-cloth, her hands joined.

Jesus

He raises two fingers of his right hand.

A bowl of wine

A man in a blue cap and green robe holds out a bowl of red wine.

Bride and groom

She in green and gold brocade with white sleeves; he in a red cap and fur-collared cloak.

Six jars

Tall jugs stand on the tiled floor; a servant points down at them.

Musicians

Three players with long trumpets on a balcony.

Master of the Catholic Kings, Spanish, active c. 1485/1500. National Gallery of Art, Washington (Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1952.5.42) · Oil on panel · NGA Open Access: "Images of these works are available free of charge for any use, commercial or non-commercial, under Creative Commons Zero (CC0)." (NGA open data: published_images.csv openaccess = 1)

The verses

John 2:1–11On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why does this concern us?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. “Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!” Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.