Orpheus and the Judgment of Paris
1507
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1507
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Orpheus and the Judgment of Paris is a 1507 by Nicoletto da Modena, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This image is packed with small, busy scenes framed like jewels in a box. You see naked figures—some standing, some flying, some holding musical instruments or animals. The center has a big round picture of a man playing a lyre while others listen. Around it are other circles with hunting scenes, battles, and strange creatures. The edges twist into vines and flowers, and tiny cherubs peek from corners. The artist packed in myths and symbols, like a puzzle. The lyre player is Orpheus, and the round scene with the man choosing between goddesses is the Judgment of Paris. These stories were big in Renaissance art. Next, look up Renaissance to see why artists loved mixing myths like this.
