There are few painters of whose private life so little is known as of
that of Veronese. The contemporary documents have disappeared and
scarcely anything more remains than a few of his letters; and even
those are silent as to his day-by-day existence. All that it is
possible to know--and to this his paintings abundantly bear
witness--is that he was possessed of an agreeable humour, and a
pleasing personality;--worthy gentleman, somewhat quick of temper and
permitting no slight to be put upon his dignity, still less upon his
honour. He was neither a sycophant nor a courtier, accepting
commissions but never soliciting them. His "disinterestedness,"
writes Charles Yriarte, "has remained celebrated; during one entire
period of his life, the greater part of the contracts which he signed
with communities and with convents stipulate barely the value of his
time as a remuneration for his work. This was before the time when
painters were expected to furnish their colours and their canvases,
but demanded only the price of their toil. Later on, having become, if
not rich--that he never was,--at least celebrated and independent, he
acquired a taste for personal luxury; he delighted in brilliant
fabrics and wore them with ostentation; he loved horses, dogs, and
hunting; he frequented high society, and brought to it that Italian
open-heartedness which makes the company of the illustrious a
relaxation and a pleasure rather than an embarrassment or an effort.
He won valuable friendships and was able to retain them until his
death."
Of these friendships, the most efficacious was that of the Prior of
the convent of San Sebastiano, Bernardo Torlioni, a Veronese by birth,
to whom he had brought letters of introduction. No sooner had young
Caliari arrived in Venice at the beginning of 1555, than he presented
himself to his venerable compatriot, who promptly took a fancy to him,
and bestirred himself to serve him. Thanks to Torlioni, Paolo obtained
an order for five pictures, including one large composition, the
_Coronation of the Virgin_ and four dependent panels. These paintings
were destined to adorn the sacristy of the church of San Sebastiano,
of which Bernardo Torlioni was prior. When the work was done, the
Chapter expressed itself as so well pleased that it entrusted him with
the decoration of the church itself, including the ceiling. It was
here that Veronese painted his admirable series of episodes from the
_History of Esther and Ahasuerus_.
The success of this series was so great that the edifice was placed
unconditionally in his hands, and he was free to follow his fantasy
unhampered. Following a method which was habitual with him, he
enhanced the effect of the large panels painted in fresco, by means of
smaller intervening scenes in chiaroscuro. Here also one finds him
indulging his hobby for architectural painting, such as always
occupies a large place in his pictures; all around the church he
painted truncated columns, ornamented with arabesques and foliage,
"with a richness and a pomp that were already an inseparable feature
of his style."
In the works of Veronese, the accessories always play a highly
important part; and it is not difficult to understand the reason. His
main object being to delight the eye, he attributed considerable space
to vases, furniture, armour, fruits, flowers, graceful draperies,
brilliant costumes, mettlesome horses, and more especially dogs, with
which it was his special whim to embellish his paintings. The dog was
his favourite animal, and even at that epoch its presence was to be
noted in every picture.
When the church, completely decorated, was opened to the public, there
was general rejoicing; Veronese received the unanimous vote of
approval, from the populace as well as from the artists.
From that day forth, the ability of the young painter was openly
acknowledged, and his fortune assured. Furthermore, he had arrived in
Venice at a propitious hour. It was the moment when the Most Serene
Republic, victorious over the seas and surfeited with wealth, attained
the zenith of her glory. In her opulence Venice chose to employ her
treasures in self-adornment; palaces arose on all sides, the Ducal
Palace itself was redecorated; Sansovino was just completing the new
Government offices. The wealthy brotherhoods and equally wealthy
parishes were seeking out every painter of repute to decorate their
churches and their convents.
Accordingly, Veronese had arrived at the crucial moment to satisfy the
demands of art. His rivals were negligible: Salviati, Battista Franco,
Lo Schiavone, Zelotti, Orazio Vocelli the son of Titian, could none of
them hold their own against him. Bordone was at the court of Francis
I. Tintoretto alone, at the height of his powers, could counterbalance
Veronese's glory. As to the aged Titian, he was no longer producing
pictures with his old-time fertility; furthermore, he had already
divined the genius of Veronese and conceived a friendship for him.
And so, throughout thirty-three years, from 1555 to 1588, the
masterpieces that were born beneath Veronese's fingers succeeded one
another without interruption. The walls of his adopted city became
overspread with his luminous canvases, eloquent of the joyousness of
Italy, resplendent with the triumphant beauty of Venice.
Shortly after the decoration of San Sebastiano was completed, Daniele
Barbaro, Patriarch of Aquileia and wealthy patrician of Venice, had a
splendid residence built him at Masiera by Palladio, a celebrated
architect of the period. Being a man of artistic taste, he wished to
embellish it with paintings and statues worthy of its imposing
architecture. For the sculpture he summoned Alessandro Vittoria; the
paintings were entrusted to Paolo Veronese.
The patriarch Barbaro was one of his friends, and accordingly allowed
him a free hand, and even left the choice of subjects to him.
[Illustration: PLATE IV.--THE WEDDING AT CANA
(In the Musée du Louvre)
This immense composition is the most celebrated work by Veronese. It
is considered as one of the masterpieces of all painting. The greater
number of the guests at this feast are portraits of illustrious
characters of the sixteenth century, and the artist has included
himself, along with Tintoretto and Titian, in the group of musicians
in the foreground.]
Veronese, who was a prodigiously fertile artist, left not a single
space in Barbaro's house unoccupied with colour. Wherever space would
not permit of large compositions, he painted trophies, garlands,
flowers, even statues, possessing all the lustre and relief of
marble. Elsewhere he sketched in architectural fantasies, simulating
colonnades and porticoes, opening upon landscapes borrowed from the
realm of dreams; he conceived imaginary doors, before which fictitious
lacqueys appeared to be standing. The principal subjects treated by
Veronese at Masiera include _Nobility_, _Honour_, _Magnificence_,
_Vice_, _Virtue_, _Flora_, _Pomona_, _Ceres_ and _Bacchus_; then in
the ceiling of the cupola he gathered together all the gods of
Olympus, grouped around Jupiter.
The decorations in the palace at Masiera further augmented Veronese's
fame. He was now acknowledged to be the foremost painter of Venice,
next to Titian. Barbaro had been so delighted with his talents that he
determined to do him a service. Standing well at court, he recommended
him to the Signoria. As a result of this, the latter entrusted him
with the task of redecorating the halls and chambers of the Doge's
Palace, in conjunction with Tintoretto and Orazio Titian. Which of the
three artists proved superior it is impossible to decide to-day,
because a fire, occurring in 1576, destroyed their paintings along
with the palace. But public opinion of that period gave the palm to
Veronese.
It seems as though this verdict must have been justified, in view of
the esteem in which his name was held.
Shortly afterwards, Sansovino having completed the construction of the
library, the procurators instructed the architect to arrange with
Titian as to a choice of painters to decorate it in competition.
Veronese was immediately designated, together with Zelotti, Batista
Franco, Giuseppe Salviati, Lo Schiavene and Il Fratina, who were to
divide the twenty-one ceiling panels between them. Three round
compartments fell to the lot of Veronese, who filled them with figures
representing _Music_, _Geometry with Arithmetic_, and _Honour_. Under
Veronese's brush these cold abstractions took on the most charming
forms; they were represented by graceful women, each surrounded by the
attributes of the science which she symbolized. A recompense was
promised by the procurators to the artist whose paintings should be
adjudged most beautiful. Titian was enthusiastic over those of
Veronese. Loyal and noble artist that he was, he himself solicited the
votes of the painters who had taken part in the competition, and thus
Veronese was declared winner by the voice of his own competitors. The
senate offered him a golden chain which he delighted to wear on solemn
occasions.
These great official works did not diminish the number of his
productions for churches, convents, or private persons of wealth. No
other artist affords an example of similar fecundity.
And what verges upon prodigy is that he never employed collaborators,
as so many other celebrated painters have done; the only one that he
is known to have had is his brother Benedetto Caliari, whose artistic
aid was limited to painting in the prospective of the vast
architectural designs with which it pleased Veronese to embellish all
his canvases.
The epoch of his most fertile production was between 1562 and 1565; it
was also the period in which he executed his largest and most
celebrated paintings, notably his famous canvas of the _Wedding at
Cana_, his _Feast at the House of the Pharisee_, his _Feast at the
House of the Leper_, and his _Feast at the House of Simon_.
These four pictures are known under the name of the four _Feasts_. Two
of them belong to France and hang in the museum of the Louvre, in the
room known by the name of the _Salon Carré_; these are the _Feast at
the House of Simon the Pharisee_ and the _Wedding at Cana_.