The Judgment of Paris
1517/ 20
Medium
Engraving in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 29.3 × 43.8 cm (11 9/16 × 17 1/4 in.); Sheet: 29.6 × 44 cm (11 11/16 × 17 3/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
106561
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In Greek myth, Paris was a Trojan prince tasked to select the most beautiful goddess of the pantheon at Mount Olympus. Seated at left, he hands the prize (a golden apple) to Venus, surrounded by numerous other Greek gods. The renowned Italian painter Raphael based this composition on a sculpted relief from a Roman sarcophagus, demonstrating his deep knowledge of ancient art. Marcantonio Raimondi, who worked in Raphael’s workshop, skillfully translated Raphael’s design and even devised a method t...
About the Artist
Marcantonio Raimondi · 1475–1534
Marcantonio Raimondi (c. 1480–1534), born near Bologna, Italy, emerged as one of the Renaissance's premier engravers, revolutionizing printmaking through his mastery of reproductive techniques. He trained in the workshop of the goldsmith, painter, and niellist Francesco Francia, whose influence is evident in his early engravings, such as the goldsmith-like shading in *Pyramus and Thisbe* (1505), h...