The Judgement Of Paris Painting

This scene is one of a group of exceptional compositions raphael designed specifically for marcantonio to engrave which according to giorgio vasari amazed all of rome. Although we know nothing of the circumstances of its commission given its small size we can hypothesise that it was originally used as a devotional work within a household. This delicate annunciation by the anonymous painter known as the master of the judgement of paris is typical in many ways of florentine annunciations of this period.
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Jupiter chief of the gods declared that paris should be the judge.

The judgement of paris painting. The goddess strife threw a golden apple marked to the fairest amidst the gods and jupiter selected paris a trojan shepherd to award it. The judgement of paris is a story from greek mythology which was one of the events that led up to the trojan war and in slightly later versions of the story to the foundation of rome. The large versions of 1636 and 1639 are among the best known. 15201530 after albrecht duerer german 14711528 the judgement of paris 15201550.

Later artists who have painted the subject include andre lhote enrique simonet el juicio de paris 1904 and salvador dali. Hieronymus hopfer german active c. The judgement of paris 1639 by peter paul rubens. The young man had been raised as a shepherd but was actually a prince of troy.

Each goddess tried to influence paris with a special gift. Minerva depicted here with a spear at her side offered him victory in war. The goddesses had all cheated. Paris hands the golden apple to venus goddess of beauty in the centre.

The story begins at the wedding of peleus and thetis to which all of the gods were invited all except eris the goddess of discord. A masterpiece of renaissance printmaking the judgment of paris represents a highpoint in the collaboration between the painter raphael and the great italian engraver raimondi. These both show rubens version of idealised feminine beauty with the goddesses venus minerva and juno on one side and paris accompanied by mercury on the other. The judgement of paris was painted frequently by academic artists of the 19th century and less often by their more progressive contemporaries such as renoir and cezanne.

The judgement of paris refers to any of the several paintings of the judgement of paris produced by peter paul rubens though he did not match the 22 depictions of the subject attributed to lucas cranach the elder. Judgement of paris by rubens the greek mythological story of the judgment of paris appears briefly in homers iliad 242530 and is mentioned by several later writers including ovid and lucian. The judgment of paris is one of the best known greek myths. It is this moment of choice that rubens has depicted.

Images of the story. Click image to view detail.