AN 18TH CENTURY PAINTING AFTER LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER
The Judgement of Paris,
oil on panel
103 x 62 cm (40 1/2 x 24 1/2 in.)

LOT NOTES
This early version of The Judgement of Paris inspired by a panel on the same subject by Lucas Cranach the Elder (in the collection the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) depicts the genesis of the Trojan War and the events that would lead to the city`s eventual demise. The languid figure of Paris is shown in the lower left, about to be woken up by Hermes with a request to determine which of the three goddesses presented, Hera, Aphrodite and Athena, is the most beautiful. Hermes is shown holding a golden apple, which according to legend, was inscribed by Eris (the goddess of discord) to the fairest, after she was not invited to Peleus` and Thetis` wedding, and thrown amid the gods into the celebration. Aphrodite won Paris` favour by promising him the love of Helen, the most beautiful mortal woman, should he select her to be the recipient of the coveted prize.