After Veronese, oil, Feast in House of Levi

After Paolo Veronese Caliari
(Italian, 1528-1588)
Feast in the House of Levi (19th century)
oil on canvas
43 x 84in (110 x 213cm)
Provenance:
Property from a Private Collection, Santa Barbara, California.

Footnote:
The Feast in the House of Levi or Christ in the House of Levi is a 1573 work by Paolo Veronese and one of the largest canvases of the 16th century, measuring 18 1/2 x 43 ft. It was painted for a wall of a Dominican friary of the Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo. It is now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice. The painting was intended to be a rendition of The Last Supper, to replace an earlier work by Titian of the same subject which was destroyed in a fire in 1571. The painting shows a fantastic Venetian patrician feast taking place in which Christ is the focal point at the center of the image. The inclusion of what were considered to be lascivious characters, extravagant costumes and elaborate settings led to an investigation by the Tribunal of the Holy Inquisition in Venice as the work was viewed as a violation of the Council of Trent's rules of adherence to righteous message and decorum.
Condition Report: Framed 58 1/2 x 99 1/2. There is extensive fine craquelure throughout, with associated tiny dots of paint loss, paint flaking and unstable paint. There are numerous areas of overpainting throughout, some fluoresce under UV light. There are a few scattered pea-sized areas of paint loss throughout. The varnish has cracked and yellowed. There is surface dirt and dust throughout.