In 1562, the Benedictine monks of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice commissioned Paolo Caliari (known as Veronese) to paint a canvas for the entire back wall of the refectory, hence its monumental size (6.77 m high and 9.94 m wide). It is intriguing that Veronese chose to depict a lavish wedding banquet while the monks usually ate frugally. Jesus, his mother and his disciples take centre stage in the painting. In 1797, the victorious General Bonaparte demanded an arts tribute from the Republic of Venice. ‘The Wedding at Cana’ is one of them. The painting was returned to the Louvre in 1798, after a long journey.