The Miraculous Draught of Fishes

Jacopo Bassano · 1545
National Gallery of Art, Washington

Jacopo Bassano painted this canvas in 1545 in his home town, Bassano del Grappa, for a Venetian patron, Pietro Pizzamano. He fills the whole width with two overlapping boats, so close that the fishermen seem about to step out of the picture.

In one boat an old man kneels before Jesus; in the other two fishermen strain to lift a net heavy with fish. Behind them a calm lake stretches to blue mountains and a walled town.

From the text

“Put out into deep water and let down your nets” (Luke 5:4)

So many fish that their nets began to tear (Luke 5:6)

Partners in the other boat came to help (Luke 5:7)

Simon Peter fell at Jesus’ knees (Luke 5:8)

The artist’s own

The Lake of Gennesaret as an Alpine lake with sailing ships

A walled Italian town with towers on the shore

Fishermen with the strong, bare arms of workmen of the painter’s own region

Details

Jesus

Seated in the stern, light around his head, he raises his hand.

Peter

An old, balding man in orange kneels in front of Jesus.

Rushing forward

A younger man strides across the boat, his green cloak billowing.

Hauling the net

Two bare-armed fishermen lean over the side of the second boat.

The catch

The net breaks the surface with fish caught in it.

The far shore

A walled town with towers on the shore of the lake.

Jacopo Bassano, Venetian, c. 1510–1592. National Gallery of Art, Washington (Patrons' Permanent Fund, 1997.21.1) · Oil on canvas · 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

Luke 5:4–10When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” “Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.” For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.”