A Landscape with the Judgement of Paris
- Artist: Jan Both
- Date: about 1645-50
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is "A Landscape with the Judgement of Paris" painted by Jan Both, in the Italianate style. The warm glow of a summer's evening suffuses the scene, but this is no idyll. We're witnessing a tragic turning point in mythological history: the Judgement of Paris.
In the foreground, elegantly poised nudes added by Both's collaborator Cornelis van Poelenburgh catch the sunlight streaming through the riverside glade. On one side, goats rest peacefully among the trees, supervised by a watchful dog, while on the other two water nymphs quietly play in the shallows next to a river god.
This is where it gets interesting - Jupiter has asked Paris to judge which of three goddesses - Juno, Minerva, and Venus - is the most beautiful. Each offers him something: power, wisdom, or love. And Paris chooses... love. He hands Venus a golden apple inscribed 'to the fairest'.
As we look at this painting, we see the other goddesses reacting to the situation. Minerva turns to catch our eye, while Juno seems to be raising her hand in alarm. They know that this decision will have tragic consequences - it leads to the Trojan wars and the destruction of Troy.
Van Poelenburgh's reference for the group of figures was a well-known engraving by Raphael, but he's adapted it to emphasise the drama of the moment. And perhaps the moral lesson implied - that love can sometimes lead to chaos. This painting is a masterpiece of Italianate landscape painting from the early 17th century, with a rich history and symbolism behind it.
See it in person
A Landscape with the Judgement of Paris hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
