The Feast in the House of Levi
Monumental Painting on Canvas • Paolo Veronese (Paolo Caliari)
Style & Movement
Venetian High Renaissance / Mannerism
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas, utilizing Venetian colorito, sfumato in the distance, and precise architectural perspective (quadratura).
Creation Period
1573
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 5.5 x 12.8 meters (18 x 42 feet); extreme landscape format.
Subject Description
Originally intended as a 'Last Supper,' the composition depicts a grand banquet set within a majestic loggia of Three Corinthian arches. It features Christ at the center, surrounded by a theatrical crowd of soldiers, servants, dwarves, and animals, which led to an Inquisition trial for lack of decorum.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Very Good. The work has undergone professional conservation to address historical fire damage and surface darkening.
Estimated Market Value
Inestimable. As a cornerstone of Western art history in a public museum, it has no private market equivalent.
Auction Estimate
N/A (National Treasure / Museum Permanent Collection)
Provenance History
Commissioned for the refectory of the Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice; removed to the Louvre by Napoleon's troops in 1797; returned to Venice in 1815 and now housed in the Gallerie dell'Accademia.
Art Historical Significance
Crucial for its role in the history of artistic freedom; Veronese's testimony before the Inquisition in 1573 defended the artist's right to license and imagination ('we painters take the liberties that poets and madmen take').
Notable Features
Includes a self-portrait (figures in the foreground); the controversial inclusion of a dog and German soldiers; the inscribed change of title to 'Levi' on the balustrade to avoid heresy charges.
Condition Issues
Evidence of historical seams in the canvas joining; minor craquelure; historical repairs from a fire in 1571 which destroyed the previous version of the site.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain strictly controlled UV-filtered lighting and stable relative humidity; periodic monitoring for varnish oxidation.