Artwork
Paris Giving Venus the Apple
Paris Giving Venus the Apple is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Johannes van Haensbergen. It dates from 1691 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the mythological narrative of Paris awarding the golden apple to Venus, a pivotal episode from Greek mythology concerning the Judgment of Paris. Created by Johannes van Haensbergen in 1681, the work is classified as a mythological painting that visualizes this specific interaction between the two figures. The subject matter centers on Venus and Paris as the primary characters engaged in this legendary event, illustrating the moment the Trojan prince selects the goddess of love as the most beautiful.
This scene represents the foundational myth that ultimately precipitated the Trojan War, serving as a classic exploration of divine rivalry and human choice within the genre of mythological art.
Technique & Style
Johannes van Haensbergen created Paris Giving Venus the Apple in 1681 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work is a large-scale mythological painting, measuring 365 cm in height and 530 cm in width. As a significant example of Baroque mythological art, the piece depicts the figures of Venus and Paris within a narrative composition typical of the genre.
History & Provenance
It is housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is listed under the inventory number KMS1984:10.
Paris Giving Venus the Apple was created by Johannes van Haensbergen in 1681, executed in oil paint on canvas as a mythological painting depicting the figures of Paris and Venus. The work measures 365.0 cm in height by 530.0 cm in width. No information about a commission, patron, or early ownership chain is documented in the available sources.
The painting is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is currently located, though the sources do not specify when or how it entered that collection, nor do they document any intermediate owners between its creation and its present institutional holding.
Paris Giving Venus the Apple is an oil on canvas mythological painting by Johannes van Haensbergen, created in 1681. It is housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is listed under the inventory number KMS1984:10. The work has been featured in exhibitions at the museum, including a showcase of Dutch and Flemish paintings in 1995.
Overview
Johannes van Haensbergen’s oil painting Paris Giving Venus the Apple, executed in 1691, presents a mythological tableau that is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. The work brings together figures from classical legend within a composition that merges celestial and terrestrial space.
Context
Van Haensbergen, active in the Dutch Republic, was known for his narrative scenes that combined genre elements with mythological subject matter. This painting aligns with the period’s fascination with antiquity and the moralizing potential of myth, a trend prevalent among European courts and collectors of the era.
Artist & collection
Artist
Dutch artist Johannes van Haensbergen painted mythological scenes in the late 1600s, often on copper panels.
