Bible in art · John

The Marriage at Cana (Les noces de Cana)

James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York

Tissot imagined the wedding at Cana in a large hall with arches, lattice doors and clusters of hanging glass lamps. The guests recline along a curved table hung with garlands.

In the foreground Jesus, in a white mantle, walks past a row of round stone jars and points down to them. A servant kneels and tips water from a jug, another carries a tray to the table, and the guests look on.

From the text

Six stone water jars set for the rites of purification (John 2:6)
“Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim (John 2:7)
The master of the banquet tastes the water turned into wine (John 2:9)

The artist’s own

A banqueting hall with hanging lamps and garlands
Guests lying at a curved table

Details

Jesus

In a white mantle, he points down at the jars.

The jars

Round stone jars stand along the floor.

A servant

A kneeling servant tips water from a jug.

Lamps

Clusters of glass lamps hang from the ceiling.

James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.62) · Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper · Brooklyn Museum (Commons file page, «Permission»): "This image was uploaded by the Brooklyn Museum as a content partnership, and is considered to have no known copyright restrictions by the institutions of the Brooklyn Museum." — "No known copyright restrictions".

The verses

John 2:1–10On 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!”

See it at the museum’s site