The illustration of this Gospel passage (John 2:1–12) belongs to the sub-genre of ‘suppers’. These paintings that recreated biblical episodes around a table (Cana, Emmaus, etc.) were very popular in Venice between 1560 and 1575. Veronese’s contribution was to represent the suppers as grandiose theatrical shows set in vast architectural settings. These shows portrayed a multitude of figures in contemporary dress, with Christ at the centre of the composition (The Wedding at Cana, 1562–1563; The Supper of Saint Gregory the Great, around 1572; and The Feast in the House of Levi, 1573). Decorations such as columns, pediments and balusters conform to canonical descriptions of the Vitruvian scena tragica and Andrea Palladio’s ideas around set design.

Such a profane interpretation of the ‘suppers’ aroused the suspicion of the Holy Office. In 1573, it demanded that Veronese explain his inclusion of characters from outside the Gospel story in The Feast in the House of Levi. The event was invoked to illustrate post-Tridentine orthodoxy; however, these objections refer to issues that were in force decades earlier, such as the allegedly Protestant criticism of the Church’s wealth. After 1573, Veronese opted for a more stripped-down treatment of these themes, within which this work is placed. However, it lacked the spectacular scenography of earlier works. The inclusion of donors, common practice in this iconography since the 15th century, suggests that it was commissioned for the betrothal of the couple seated on the left. Thus, the Eucharistic significance of the supper at Cana reaffirms the sacramental character of marriage.

The attribution and the timeframe of the work have been disputed. Berenson, in an oral statement, perceived the influence of Badile and therefore considered the work to be made during Veronese’s youth. However, most historians believe that is was made later in his workshop. For example, Larcher Crosato attributed it to Alvise del Friso, Veronese’s nephew. Although no painting of this type appeared in Charles I of Spain’s inventory, the Count of Fuensaldaña acquired it in England for 700 florins. Philip IV the Great allocated it to El Escorial, where it was initially located in the old church. Shortly afterwards, it was transferred to the gallery rooms.

Museo Nacional del Prado, La Almoneda del Siglo: relaciones artísticas entre España y Gran Bretaña, 1604-1655, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2002, p.263, nº 56