On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P01669
- Author
- Rubens, Peter Paul (Flemish)
- Title
- The Judgement of Paris
- Chronology
- 1638-1639
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 199 cm x 379 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal Collection
The shepherd, Paris, was called on
to resolve Minerva, Venus and
Juno's argument as to which of them
was the most beautiful goddess of
all. Paris, son of Priam, was to
give a golden apple with the
inscription “to the most beautiful”
to the one he considered most
deserving.
The shepherd sits under a tree,
thinking, while the Gods'
messenger, Mercury, brings the
golden fruit of discord. The
goddesses attempt to sway his
judgment with their offerings:
Minerva, with armor and an owl,
announces his success at war;
Venus, accompanied by Cupid, offers
him the most beautiful woman; and
Juno, identified by her peacock,
promises him grandeur. He finally
chooses Venus, with whose help he
kidnaps Helen, provoking the Trojan
War and the wrath of the other
goddesses, as is told in Homer's
Iliad (Iliad, XXXIV-XXV).
Rubens painted this work at the end
of his life, modeling Venus after
his second wife, Hélène Fourment.
It is thought that the landscape
was painted by Lucas van
Uden.
The Cardinal Infante commissioned
this work for Felipe IV and by 1653
it was hanging in the Buen Retiro
Palace.
Location on the map
