The Dream of Paris
1536
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
49.1 × 32.8 cm (19 5/16 × 12 7/8 in.); Framed: 72.4 × 47.4 × 9.6 cm (28 1/2 × 18 5/8 × 3 3/4 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
58702
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Faced with choosing the fairest goddess among Minerva, Juno, and Venus, the Trojan prince Paris picked Venus, shown here holding a heart and the golden apple given as a prize in the contest, with her son Cupid frolicking at her feet. Paris wears the garb of a contemporary knight rather than classical dress, a choice that emphasizes the enduring relevance of his moral crossroads as well as, through contrast, the nudity of the goddesses. His sleeping pose and the painting’s inscription, PARIS / TR...