The Judgment of Paris

The scene in the center depicts the Judgment of Paris, one of the most famous Greek myths. At the marriage of Peleus and Thetis, the uninvited Goddess of Discord arrived with a golden apple inscribed "for the fairest." Three goddesses claimed the apple: Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. They asked Zeus to judge which of them was fairest, but Zeus, reluctant to declare a winner himself, commanded Paris, son of Priam, king of Troy, to judge their case. The group of figures in the center of the dish represents the moment when Paris presents the golden apple to Aphrodite.The scene is painted after an engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi made around 1517–20 after a drawing by Raphael.

The rim is decorated with colorful grotesques. These motifs derive from Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau's Petites Grotesques published in France in 1550 and 1560. In this work, the maiolica painter chose to copy certain elements from Du Cerceau's prints, while interpreting others freely. Similar to the istoriato painter's interpretation of Marcantonio Raimondi's print, the grotesques painter began with a given source that he confidently elaborated on.