The Feast in the House of Levi

In this case the shared table is a clear indication of Christ's familiarity with sinners. "Veronese presents the meal as a ritual that brings spirits together.

The Feast in the House of Levi

As Jesus was walking along the seashore at Capernaum, people gathered around him seeking advice. When he met a tax collector called Levi, Jesus told Levi to follow him. Levi obeyed and offered his hospitality. At Levi's house, when Jesus and his disciples sat down to eat, they were joined there by many tax collectors and other sinners who were among his followers. The Pharisee scribes were scandalized that Christ would share a cable with such people and asked his disciples to explain this incomprehensible behavior. But when Jesus heard the question, he replied: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners." This Gospel episode of Christ conveys a central aspect of Christian preaching, for what Christ did provoked criticism and led to the Pharisees' question.

Sources

Mark 2:13-17

Iconography

Paolo Veronese's depiction of this subject seems to be unique in Christian iconography. It has hence been suggested that he chose to call his painting The Feast in the House of Levi only because his painting was criticized as too profane for a depiction of the Last Supper

Paolo Veronese, The Feast in the House of Levi (detail), 1573. Venice, Gallerie dell'Accademia.

·         The presence of a cupbearer, whose task was to serve wine to the guests, draws attention to the absence of a carver, who would have been responsible for carving the meat.

·         The empty glass reminds us of wine and refers to the Passion of Christ.

·         One of the tax collectors is cutting a piece of meat for Jesus in a way that suggests considerable familiarity between them. It was against the rules of etiquette in the artist's own day, when the carver alone was responsible for cutting meat.

·         The bread lying on the table recalls the Eucharist.

·        The cuts of roast meat are linked to the idea of Christ as a sacrificial victim.