The Judgment of Paris

At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the goddess Iris threw a golden apple among the guests, inscribed ‘to the fairest’. Venus, Juno, and Minerva all claimed the prize. Jupiter decreed that the shepherd Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, should settle the dispute. When Venus promised Paris the love of the most beautiful woman on earth, he decided in her favour. Boucher skilfully inscribed the scene into an unusual, narrow vertical presenting the three goddesses at different angles and Juno and Minerva in the process of leaving the scene. Boucher carefully prepared the composition with numerous drawings.

This work, together with paintings Venus and Vulcan and Mars and Venus surprised by Vulcan, are part of a cycle with scenes of Venus. All three pictures are fine examples of Boucher’s mythological canvases of the 1750s. Their intended location is unknown, but their unusual dimensions and open sensuality suggest they were part of an interior decoration. In the nineteenth-century, the three works were enlarged in order to be combined with the slightly wider Cupid a Captive to form a screen.

The goddesses are easily identified with their well-known symbols. In the upper left corner, we can see peacocks, heavily associated with Juno. Juno was famously jealous, and one myth tells of Juno placing the eyes of her giant bodyguard, Argus, onto the tail feathers of a peacock after Argus was killed, serving as a reminder of her watchful eyes.

Below, we see Venus receiving the golden apple, doves flying around her. As the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, she often depicted with doves, swans, or roses, which are symbolic of her attributes.

Below Paris's feet, we can see his dog, an animal often associated with shepherds and symbolising his pastoral upbringing.