The Wedding Feast at Cana by Paolo Veronese, c. 1575-1580, 22ft x 32ft, colossal oil on canvas painting, the collection of the Musée du Louvre in Paris.

Lavinia Fontana was one of the first successful female artists in Western Europe. One of her most famous works was The Wedding at Cana in circa 1580. The painting depicts the miracle in which Jesus turned water into wine at the request of his mother. Saint Mary is in the center of the painting with Jesus to demonstrate her holiness and Saint Mary’s presence in the painting also sets a remainder of women’s important role in the story of Jesus. Jesus has his hands raised because that is the moment when he performed the miracle. The gold vases in the foreground of the painting are also an indication of the miracle.