Three words on a piece of fruit. That is all it took, in myth, to start the Trojan War.
The golden apple that Eris rolled into a wedding party carried an inscription: "for the fairest." Every painter who touched this story afterward was really painting those three words, and the vanity, bribery, and catastrophe they unleashed.
The most famous painted version is Peter Paul Rubens's The Judgement of Paris, an oil on wood panel of circa 1632 to 1635 in the National Gallery, London (NG194). According to the Gallery's research, Rubens painted this subject at least six times across his career.
The National Gallery panel
The London painting measures 144.8 by 193.7 centimeters. Paris, seated with his flock, extends the golden apple toward Venus, who stands between her two defeated rivals.
Juno is identified by her peacock. Minerva appears with her armor. Venus has Cupid beside her, with the Three Graces attending her.
In 2024 the painting came back from a 14 month conservation and restoration project, carried out by the National Gallery's own conservation department with support from the Bank of America Art Conservation Project. It returned to public display on 18 June 2024, with new detail revealed by the cleaning.
Not the Prado painting
This is where people get confused. Rubens painted the same scene again around 1638, and that later version hangs in the Prado in Madrid.
The Prado painting is the one where his young second wife, Helena Fourment, is thought to have modeled for one of the goddesses. We cover it elsewhere on this site.
The London panel predates it by several years. Same artist, same myth, two separate paintings, and at least four more versions besides, since the National Gallery counts a minimum of six across his career. Few mythological subjects pulled Rubens back so often.
The myth, from wedding to war
Eris, goddess of discord, was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. She came anyway, and threw a golden apple inscribed "for the fairest" among the guests.
Three goddesses claimed it: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. To the Romans, and to most painters, they are Juno, Minerva, and Venus.
Zeus refused to judge. He handed the decision to Paris, a Trojan prince living as a shepherd on Mount Ida, exposed at birth because of a prophecy that he would bring ruin to Troy.
Each goddess offered a bribe. Hera promised political power. Athena promised wisdom and skill in war. Aphrodite promised the love of the most beautiful mortal woman alive, Helen, who was already married to Menelaus, king of Sparta.
Paris chose Aphrodite. He took Helen from Sparta, whether by abduction or elopement depends on the telling, and the Greek fleet sailed for Troy. The prophecy came true.
How to recognize the scene
Once you know the checklist, you can spot a Judgement of Paris across five centuries of European painting.
Three female figures, usually with one clothed or partly clothed, since Minerva often keeps her armor while the others undress. A young man holding or offering an apple.
Look for the flock. Paris is a prince in disguise, so painters give him sheep and often a dog, the props of a herdsman.
Then the attributes. Juno gets her peacock, Minerva her helmet and shield, Venus her Cupid. And there is often a fifth adult in the scene: Mercury, the messenger god who led the goddesses to Mount Ida. Rubens includes him in many of his versions.
Frequently asked questions
What was written on the golden apple?
Ancient sources give the inscription as "to the fairest" or "for the fairest." Painters rarely show visible text on the apple itself. The fruit alone was enough for viewers who knew the story.
Why are the goddesses undressed?
The myth says the goddesses presented themselves to Paris for judgment, and the tradition of painting them nude gave artists a sanctioned reason to paint the female body three times over, from three angles. Minerva is the frequent exception, shown armored.
How many times did Rubens paint the Judgement of Paris?
At least six times across his career, according to the National Gallery's research. The two best known versions are the London panel of circa 1632 to 1635 and the Prado canvas of circa 1638.
Which version is in the National Gallery?
The oil on wood panel of circa 1632 to 1635, catalogue number NG194, showing Paris handing the apple to Venus while Juno's peacock and the armored Minerva look on.
After 14 months in the conservation studio, the National Gallery's panel returned to public display on 18 June 2024.