Bathsheba at her Bath

Here, we see a serious-looking and expressive old man, and a young woman touching her bare breast with her left hand while feeling the coolness of the water with one finger of the other. What can they be talking about? The man wears a sumptuous red velvet robe and a gold cape adorned with two cameos. She has removed her gown and sandals but has put on a deep blue mantle. Is she Bathsheba, whom King David saw one evening from the terrace of his palace while she was bathing? Or could she be Susanna, a very beautiful woman who repelled the sexual advances of two old men who then accused her of adultery? Or perhaps she is Esther, another female figure from the Bible?

The old man is wearing a gold cape with big buttons—the costume of the Doges of Venice. The arms on the ewer and the casket may refer to the celebration of an alliance between two influential Venetian families. Veronese divided the scene into two contrasting parts, linking them with a subtle play of harmonized colors and strong chiaroscuro.

This picture, painted around 1575, arrived in France in the 17th century and swiftly became part of the royal collection. Kept at the Palace of Versailles, it was heightened at the top and enlarged on the left-hand side, probably to adapt it to fit the wood paneling. In 1991, the decision was made to restore it to its original shape, although the enlargement was retained behind its current frame.