WATTEAU, Jean-Antoine
(b. 1684, Valenciennes, d. 1721, Nogent-sur-Marne)

The Judgment of Paris

1718-21
Oil on wood, 47 x 31 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

The Judgment of Paris (the son of a Trojan king, Priam) is the most popular of all mythological themes in art. The scene depicts the story of his award of the golden apple to Venus in a contest of beauty between her, Juno, and Minerva.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 3 minutes):
Cristoph Willibald Gluck: Paride ed Elena, Paris' aria