Wedding at Cana

Room: 35 - The Tintoretto and Barocci Room Uffizi


Artist: Andrea Boscoli


Period: 1560-1606/7


Type: Oil on canvas


Dimensions: 127.5x191


Notes: Signed at the foot of the chest. At the Uffizi since 1975.

The Gospel According to John

Chapter 2

1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2 Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
3 When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."
4 (And) Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come."
5 His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you."
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it.
9 And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom
10 and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now."
11 Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.
12 After this, he and his mother, (his) brothers, and his disciples went down to Capernaum and stayed there only a few days.            


Many people have an idea of who Christ was and what he did. He was a man that died on a cross for the sins of the world and now we can find redemption and grace in his name. But what many people sometimes look over is the start of his ministry. Holidays celebrate His birth and his resurrection but what about the beginning of his ministry, what was he doing that would make him worthy of dying for the sins of the world? This painting of the Wedding of Cana is an illustration of the first miracle that Christ did in his ministry. In this analysis we are going to address what this passage of Scripture is talking about and how the painter uses these verses to illustrate this miracle.


This first verse in the gospel of John sets the scene as a wedding in Cana and Mary, Jesus’ mother was invited and Jesus and his disciples were asked to attend as well (verse 1-3). When at the wedding the wine runs out. In the Jewish culture if a household was to run out of  wine at the wedding feast was a disgrace to the new couple and the father’s house. It showed a lack of wealth and presented the couple as one that was not prepared for the future. With being said, from the text we can assume that Mary was helping with the wedding festivities in some way because she was addressed with the problem of running out of wine. When she tells her son that they are out of wine he tells her “my hour has not yet come” telling his mother that his time of ministry is not to begin yet (Biblegateway). When Mary tells the servant that they are to listen to everything that Christ says she is to allowing her son to reveal himself to others but in a quiet setting. Nowhere in this text is there an announcement publically that Jesus was the one that made water into wine. No it says at the end that the servants and disciples knew that he was the one responsible for the miracle. I found it interesting that the first people that Jesus revealed his God nature to were servants at a wedding. In my opinion I think this shows that Christ came into a world that was not expecting him and when he showed up and performed a miracle and was not showy about it he proclaimed the humility of his kingdom and how it was for the least of these.


This painting was completed somewhere between 1560 and1606. It was painted by Andrea Boscoli in oils (Uffizi).  This painting is a nice illustration of Jesus’ first miracle. Within the painting we see Christ sitting at the table pointing to the jar that a servant is holding in the middle of the painting. Sitting across from him seems to be Mary looking and watching to see if the miracle would take place. She seems anxious her left hand is grasping her seat in anticipation. Christ looks calm and the servant looks startled in amazement. These three characters in the image draw a triangle if you trace a line between each of them. This shows the power of the trinity or God. The painter does a nice job of showing that the story only impacts a few people in the scene. As Christ, Mary and the servant interact the rest of the people in the painting are oblivious to the happenings in the foregrounds of the painting. This miracle is only being seen by the three that are interacting within the painting. This painting has a joyful feel and brings life forth from the painting.


This painting creates a wonderful depiction of Jesus’ first miracle. It shows the mystery behind this miracle and the subtleness in which the miracle was completed. This story is an important story in understanding the rest of Christ’s ministry. Christ was a subtle figure in this painting but his actions are shown in the forefront. This painting presents this miracle in a beautiful way and depicts the power of Christ and his ministry.


Bibliography
“The Gospel According to John - Wedding in Cana." Vatican: the Holy See. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. <http://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/new-testament/documents/bible_john-chap-2-cana_en.html>.


"John 2 Commentary - The Glory Begins to Be Revealed - BibleGateway.com." BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. <http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/John/Glory-Begins-Be-Revealed>.


"Andrea Boscoli: Wedding at Cana." Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. <http://www.virtualuffizi.com/uffizi1/cercals1.asp?Contatore=415>.