FEMALE NARRATOR:
According to the apostle John, Jesus Christ performed his first public miracle at a wedding at the village of Cana in Galilee. When the hosts ran out of drink, he asked the servants to fill six jars with water, then miraculously transformed them into wine. Here, the Dutch painter Jan Steen used the event as an excuse to paint an extravagant banquet. Christ is barely noticeable. You’ll find him to the left, in front of the arcade, identified only by a dim halo. Eyes modestly downcast, he is surrounded by an array of cheerful and disorderly characters, most of whom are oblivious to the miracle that just occurred.
At the center, for example, a woman carries a napkin with leftovers. She is trying to discourage her drunken husband from sampling the miraculous beverage. To the right, behind her, a portly steward oversees the feast, identified by his white apron. He offers wine to the bride and groom, seated under a grand canopy. Above, musicians play—and play around—on the balcony. It’s a joyful and raucous celebration, blending the biblical with the contemporary.
Jan Steen, the son of a brewer, may have never planned to be a full-time artist. Plagued by financial difficulties all his life, he briefly ran a tavern, an experience he used frequently in his art. His flirtation with the theater is reflected in his rich vocabulary of gestures and expressions. It has even been suggested that Marriage at Cana replicates the view from a box at a famous theater in Amsterdam, reinforcing the drama of the story.
Marriage at Cana
1676
Jan Steen (Dutch, c.1626-1679)
On View
The story of Christ’s first public miracle, performed at a wedding feast in the village of Cana, appears in the second chapter of John. Finding that the wine has been exhausted, Jesus transforms six stone jars filled with water into the finest wine. Jan Steen, who painted the subject six times, never depicted the miracle directly. Instead, he incorporated the event into the larger tableau of the wedding party. Jesus’ presence is hardly noticeable as he performs the miracle quietly in the middle ground.
Steen’s treatment of the religious subject demonstrates how fluidly he mingled historical and contemporary events. Here the act of drinking in celebration of love seems to be a subject equal to that of the miracle. People hold up glasses for a toast, partake of the wine and offer drinks to others, most unaware of the
dramatic transformation that has taken place.
Details
- Artist Name: Jan Steen (Dutch, c.1626-1679)
- Title: Marriage at Cana
- Date: 1676
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 31-3/8 x 43 in. (79.7 x 109.2 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1969.21.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Johanna Ghijs, widow of Pieter Anthony Bonenfandt, Zoerterwoude (sale 19 April 1775, lot 6).
[John Blackwood, London (sale London, Christie’s, 20–21 February 1778, lot 62)].
John Lecomte in Edouard O(utran) sale, (Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 18 January 1877, lot 27, bought in by John Lecomte).
Prince Paul Anatolii Demidoff (1839–1885), San Donato, Florence (sale San Donato, Pillet, 15 March 1880, lot 1126, sold for 10,000).
Alexis-Joseph Febvre (1810–1881), Paris (sale Paris, Hotel Drouot, 17–20 April 1882, lot 84, bought in or sold to Brame for fr. 4355);
Febvre, Beurnonville et al. (sale Paris, Hotel Drouot, 20 March 1883, lot 49).
Laurent-Richard collection, Paris (sale Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 28–29 May 1886, lot 45, sold or bought in for ff. 7200 to Laurent’s daughter); Madame Jean Martin Charcot (née Victoire Augustine Laurent), Paris (†sale Paris, Chevallier, 6–9 July 1900, lot 12, ill.).
[Galerie Charles Sedelmeyer, Paris, from at least 1906 (sale Paris, 25–28 May 1907, lot 176, sold for 27,000 to)];
S. Oppenheimer for;
(?) Otto Gerstenberg, Berlin, still in 1929.
[D. Katz, Dieren].
[Duits, London, no. 6073, from August 1930, half share from 1935 with Goudstikker, Amsterdam (no. 2643)];
Acquired July 1940 by Goering;
Sold 31 March 1942 to [Goudstikker/Miedl, Amsterdam]; Sent 1942 by Alois Miedl to Switzerland, where recovered in 1945.
[Duits, London (?)].
[P. de Boer, Switzerland, on consignment to P. de Boer, Amsterdam, July 1956, sold August, 1956 to];
Professor A. H. Kleiweg de Zwaan, Neerlangbroek, 1956–1962;
Heirs of A. H. Kleiweg de Zwaan, on consignment to;
[P. de Boer, Amsterdam, sold 1968 to];
[Frederick Mont, Inc., New York, sold 1969 to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
[John Blackwood, London (sale London, Christie’s, 20–21 February 1778, lot 62)].
John Lecomte in Edouard O(utran) sale, (Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 18 January 1877, lot 27, bought in by John Lecomte).
Prince Paul Anatolii Demidoff (1839–1885), San Donato, Florence (sale San Donato, Pillet, 15 March 1880, lot 1126, sold for 10,000).
Alexis-Joseph Febvre (1810–1881), Paris (sale Paris, Hotel Drouot, 17–20 April 1882, lot 84, bought in or sold to Brame for fr. 4355);
Febvre, Beurnonville et al. (sale Paris, Hotel Drouot, 20 March 1883, lot 49).
Laurent-Richard collection, Paris (sale Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 28–29 May 1886, lot 45, sold or bought in for ff. 7200 to Laurent’s daughter); Madame Jean Martin Charcot (née Victoire Augustine Laurent), Paris (†sale Paris, Chevallier, 6–9 July 1900, lot 12, ill.).
[Galerie Charles Sedelmeyer, Paris, from at least 1906 (sale Paris, 25–28 May 1907, lot 176, sold for 27,000 to)];
S. Oppenheimer for;
(?) Otto Gerstenberg, Berlin, still in 1929.
[D. Katz, Dieren].
[Duits, London, no. 6073, from August 1930, half share from 1935 with Goudstikker, Amsterdam (no. 2643)];
Acquired July 1940 by Goering;
Sold 31 March 1942 to [Goudstikker/Miedl, Amsterdam]; Sent 1942 by Alois Miedl to Switzerland, where recovered in 1945.
[Duits, London (?)].
[P. de Boer, Switzerland, on consignment to P. de Boer, Amsterdam, July 1956, sold August, 1956 to];
Professor A. H. Kleiweg de Zwaan, Neerlangbroek, 1956–1962;
Heirs of A. H. Kleiweg de Zwaan, on consignment to;
[P. de Boer, Amsterdam, sold 1968 to];
[Frederick Mont, Inc., New York, sold 1969 to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Se Tercentenaire de Rembrandt
- Frederick Muller et Cie, 1906-07-10 to 1906-09-15
Rembrandt Tentoonstelling
- Rijksmuseum, 1906 to
Tenth Series of 100 Paintings by Old Masters
- Paris, Galerie Charles Sedemyer, 1906 to
Tentoonstelling Bijbelsche Kunst
- Rijksmuseum, 1939 to
Kersttentoonstelling 1955
- Kunsthandel P. de Boer, 1955 to 1956
Mens e Muzick
- Dordrechts Museum, 1957 to
La Découverte de la lumiére des primitifs aux impresssionistes
- Galerie des beaux-arts de Bordeaux, 1959 to
Miracula Christi
- Utrecht, Aartsbisschoppelijk Museum, 1962-06 to 1962-08
Collection 1956
- Kunsthandel P. de Boer, 1956 to 1956-09-30
Reinstallation of Galleries: Art History of the 17th and 18th Century Gains Fresh Dimension
- Norton Simon Museum, 1993-09-02 to 1995-08-13
Tulips are in Bloom
- Norton Simon Museum, 1993-04-29 to 1993-08
- Gerson, Horst, The Connoisseur, pl. C. p. 171
- Hofstede de Groot, C., A Catalogue Raisonné of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, no. 50 p. 14
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- Martin, W., Zeitschrift für Bildende Kunst, p. 328
- Fischel, O., The Burlington Magazine, pp. 60, 65
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- Bax, D., Hollandse en vlaamse schilderkunst in Zuid-Africa, p. 115, 122
- Martin, W., Jan Steen, pp. 71, 80
- Weston, W., Quarto,
- Sutton, Peter and M. Butler, Philadelphia Museum of Art Bulletin,
- Illustrated Catalogue of the Tenth Series of 100 Paintings by Old Masters, no. 38
- De Jonge, C. H., Jan Steen, p. 58
- Tercentenaire de Rembrandt, 1906, no. 115
- Rembrandt Toonstelling, 1906, no. 50
- Schmidt-Degerner, F., et al., Toonstelling Bijbelsche Kunst, 1939, no. 121b p. 121
- Gudlaugsson, S., De Komedianten bij Jan Steen, 1945, p. 6
- Hofstede de Groot, C., Jan Steen, beeld en woord, 1952, p. 178
- Kersttentoonstelling 1955, 1955,
- Catalogue of Old Pictures Exhibited at the Gallery of C. V. Kunsthandel P. de Boer, Amsterdam, 1956, 1956,
- Mens en Muziek, Neerlandse meesters uit vijf eeuwen, 1957, cat. no. 75
- Martin-Méry, Gilberte, Exposition internationale (9th in 1959 in Bordeaux, France). La découverte de la lumiére des primitifs aux impressionistes, 1959, no. 127 p. 67
- Het Wonder. Miracula Christi, 1962, no. 94 p. 88
- Stechow, W., Nederlands Kunsthistorisches Jaarboek, 1972, n. 22 pp. 73-81, 83
- Kirschenbaum, B., The Religious and Historical Paintings of Jan Steen, 1977, no. 50, fig. 95 pp. 52, 54, 73, 82, 95, 133
- Braun, Karel, Alle tot nu toe bekende schilderijen van Jan Steen, 1980, no. 369 p. 142
- Norton Simon Museum, Selected Paintings at the Norton Simon Museum, 1980, p. 59
- Haak, B., The Golden Age: Dutch Painters of the 17th Century, 1984, pp. 430-431
- Sutton, Peter C., A Guide to Dutch Art in America, 1986, p. 319
- Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum, 1989, p. 59
- Heppner, A., Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 1991, p. 43
- Chapman, H. and Arthur Wheelock et al., Jan Steen: Painter and Storyteller, 1996, fig. 2 p. 218
- DeBoer, Lisa, A Broken Beauty, 2005, fig. 12 pp. 52- 54, 139
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 660 p. 324
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