Conservation funded by Dr. & Mrs. Randolph H. Guthrie.

Jacopo Tintoretto’s monumental canvas (14.4 ft x 19.3 ft) depicting the Wedding Feast at Cana was originally painted for the refectory of the convent of the Crociferi; this space served as the dining hall for the members of the religious community. In light of their function, refectories were generally decorated with large paintings of biblical banquet scenes, giving the monks the impression that they, too, were dining with Christ. When the convent was suppressed in the seventeenth century, Tintoretto’s canvas was transferred to the sacristy of the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, where it still hangs today.

The painting underwent an extensive restoration campaign for over 18 months, beginning in May of 2016. During this period conservator Valentina Piovan and her team removed the surface grime, darkened varnish, and altered retouchings that had compromised the legibility of the painting. Throughout the conservation process, visitors to the church were able to view the painting as treatment progressed on-site in the sacristy.

Extensive diagnostic testing including X-rays, infrared reflectography, UV fluorescence, and pigment analysis confirmed that many of Tintoretto’s original pigments have been altered indefinitely, and now appear darkened and brown. Despite the fugitive nature of some of the pigments used in the painting, the splendor of the other vibrant colors used by Tintoretto is once again evident after this successful restoration.

Our scientific analyses also determined that Tintoretto used an antiquated tempera technique, using egg as a pigment binder instead of oil, and he painted directly on top of the bare canvas with no preparatory layer of gesso. This created a tapestry-like effect, with the woven texture of the canvas clearly visible through the matte painted surface typical of tempera on unprepared canvas, as opposed to the glossy sheen of an oil painting.

Save Venice previously funded the conservation of this painting in 1983 and work was carried out by Ferrucio Volpin.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Jacopo Tintoretto (c. 1518/19–1594)
Wedding Feast at Cana
1561, tempera on canvas
440 x 590 cm

Dalla Costa, Thomas, Robert Echols, and Frederick Ilchman, eds. Tintoretto in Venice: A Guide. Venice: Marsilio, 2018.