The Wedding at Cana (Christ Changes Water to Wine)
probably c. 1576/1580
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 6 × 6.1 cm (2 3/8 × 2 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1964.8.1023
Art Historical Context
Léonard Gaultier's *The Wedding at Cana (Christ Changes Water to Wine, an exquisite engraving likely created around 1576–1580, captures a pivotal biblical miracle from the Gospel of John. This small print, measuring just 6 × 6.1 cm, showcases the French artist's mastery in rendering crowded scenes with intricate detail. Gaultier, a prominent engraver of the late 16th century, worked during a time of religious fervor in France amid the Wars of Religion, works that reinforced Catholic devotion through accessible imagery. The scene depicts Jesus performing his first public miracle at a Galilean ...
About the Artist
Léonard Gaultier · 1561–1641
Léonard Gaultier, a prolific French engraver born in Mainz around 1561, established himself as a prominent printmaker and publisher in Paris, where he died in 1641. Operating from addresses like "A l'Arche de Noé" on rue du Monceau-Saint-Gervais by 1585, he produced book illustrations, frontispieces, title pages, broadsides, almanacs, and standalone prints, often collaborating with publishers such...