The Judgment of Paris
1545
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1545
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see three goddesses—Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite—standing naked in a forest while a shepherd, Paris, holds out an apple. A winged messenger watches from above. This scene comes from an old Greek myth: Paris must pick the most beautiful goddess. The twist? Each one bribes him. The print copies an Italian drawing, which itself copies a famous lost painting. It’s like a game of telephone across Europe. Look up *sfumato* to see how later artists softened edges in stories like this.
