In Paolo Veronese’s painting “Christ in the House of Levi,” Veronese makes a mockery of a religious scene, the Last Supper or the Supper in the House of Simon. This painting, made in 1573 during the Late Renaissance in Italy, offended many religious figures. The Holy Office accused Veronese of heresy for making a ridicule of the religious scene. The presence of Jesus in the scene with drunkards, dwarfs, fools, and other vulgarities offended the Holy Office. The root of their discomfort was whether or not Veronese was trying to represent the holy scene of the Last Supper. Veronese never made it clear if his painting was depicting the Last Supper or the Supper in the House of Simon. After the Inquisition accused him of heresy, Veronese changed the name to “Christ in the House of Levi.” This change made it acceptable for the vulgarities to be in the painting in the same presence of Jesus. Veronese made the argument that his images were not offensive compared to previous artists who depicted Jesus nude. Veronese’s painting was made to represent everything in the world and all the people in it. He is appealing to the visual sense of the viewer through the feast. The involvement of the vulgar characters makes it on the level of every viewer. Along with offending religious qualifications, the decorum shown in the painting is in violation of typical decorum. The decorum in this painting is very lavish and dramatic for the Late Renaissance. Although Veronese made this painting out of the typical outlook, he was ahead of his time and was showing early signs of Mannerist painting. The qualities shown in the decorum and the religious infractions were merely an artistic expression. Veronese was emphasizing how religion was making society a self-indulgent machine. The lavish scene was expressing Veronese’s views. His feelings toward religion were nearly punished but having such controversy about his painting got his point across to people.

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