As Homer tells it in The Iliad, Paris the shepherd, son of Priam, had to decide with of the three goddesses —Juno, Venus or Minerva— was the most beautiful, and give her the golden apple Mercury he had received from Mercury. On the left, Paris appears to be meditating, with the apple still in his hands. His attention is focused on Venus, in the middle of the composition. Minerva's weapons are visible in the foreground.

The setting and elegance of this work bear a clear relation to southern painting as a result of the artist's stay in Italy. The figures are based on classical sculptures and the influence of mannerist painting is visible in the sinuous rhythm of their anatomies.

This work was first documented at Madrid's Alcázar Palace in 1666.