Christ turning wine into water at the wedding at Cana

Art Historical Context

This etching captures the biblical miracle at the Wedding at Cana, where Christ transforms water into wine. Created between 1743 and 1763 by Pietro Monaco after a composition by the Venetian Renaissance master Jacopo Bassano, the print brings a dynamic religious scene to a wider audience through the accessible medium of etching. Bassano, known for infusing sacred stories with lively rural details and rich textures, likely emphasized the festive atmosphere and human interactions in the original design. Etchings like this one played a vital role in 18th-century Europe by reproducing celebrated paintings for collectors and scholars. Monaco’s careful line work translates Bassano’s painterly approach—marked by warm earth tones and expressive figures—into a graphic format that highlights dramatic contrasts and movement across the large sheet. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum’s Drawings and Prints department as part of the Elisha Whittelsey Collection, the work exemplifies how reproductive prints preserved and popularized Renaissance masterpieces long after the artists’ lifetimes, inviting viewers to reflect on both the sacred narrative and the enduring appeal of Venetian art.