Title

The Marriage at Caná

Maestro de los Reyes Católicos (Active in Castile in the late 15th century)

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

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Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

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Inventory Number in Current Collection

Inscriptions / Marks

On the border of tablecloth: AVE*GRATIA*PLENA*DOMINUS*TECU BENEDICTATU*INMUILERIBUS 
On border of Christ´s tunic: QUID MIHI ET TIBI EST MULLER
On towel over shoulders of attendant on right: SA*RN*VMT / AEN*D*VI
On border of Marys´s mantle (deciphered with infrared reflectography): OVOSONRVM

Object history

It has been suggested that it comes from a convent or church in Valladolid in connection with the court of the Catholic Monarchs (Albert van der Put, 1922, ANGW). Before 1919 it was in the possession of the Count of Las Almenas in Madrid. That same year it was sold to Frank Partrige and Sons in London, passing to the house of Preston Pope Satterwhite in New York in 1933. It was acquired by Frenck & Co in New York, going to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation collection in New York in 1941, which donated it to the National Gallery of Washington in 1952.

Description

Christ's first public miracle, prompted by his mother, occurs when they are invited to a wedding where the wine runs out. This fact is determined by the pitchers in the foreground that the two young servants hurry to tell the bride and groom: “there is no wine left”. The Virgin attentive to the needs approaches her son to help the couple on this day. Reluctantly, he ends up turning the water with which they fill the jars into wine. The artist recreates the interior of an everyday room at the end of the 15th century. He even places the bride as is customary in Flemish celebrations in front of a baldachin that makes her stand out from the rest. This scene has been related to the betrothal of John of Castile and Margaret of Austria because, in addition to the coats of arms of both princes: the arms of Castile and the lion of Flanders and the double-headed eagle of Maximilian, the ribbon with pearls and jewels has been identified with the gift given to the young princess (Martínez-Acítores 2022). Possibly the work was made by a master of strong Flemish influence in connection with the court of Queen Isabella I of Castile, a painting with which he had the intervention of other artists, possibly Hispanic.

Locations

• Unknown date

  monastery

  Convent, province of Valladolid, Valladolid (Spain)

• Unknown date

  private collection

  Collection of Conde de las Almenas, José María de Palacio y Abárzuza, Madrid y Finca Canto del Pico, Torrelodones (Spain) *

• Unknown date

  private collection

  Preston Pope Satterwhite Collection, New York (United States) *

• Unknown date

  dealer/antiquarian

  French & Company, New York (United States) *

• Unknown date

  private collection

  Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York (United States) *

• present

  museum

  The National Gallery of Art, Washington, Washington (United States)