Judgment of Paris
- Date
- 1530
- Material
- Oil and tempera on panel
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- European Art to 1800
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 20 x 14 5/16 in. (50.8 x 36.4 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 28:1932
NOTES
Lucas Cranach’s interpretation of the Judgment of Paris is a medieval retelling of an ancient beauty contest. Paris is the knight in reddish armor who dreams of the Roman god Mercury, dressed in dazzling peacock feathers, who commands him to choose the most beautiful goddess. The coy Juno (far right) and flirtatious Minerva (center) try their best to win—even rouging their buttocks! Yet it is Venus, the goddess of love, who claims the prize of the golden apple. The horse hiding in the foliage catches our eye to remind us that Paris’s choice will set off the Trojan War.
Provenance
by 1890 -
Gotha Landesmuseum, Gotha, Thuringia, Germany [1]
- 1932
Van Diemen Gallery and Newhouse Gallery, New York, NY, USA (owned jointly) [2]
1932 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Newhouse Gallery [3]
Notes:
[1] Gotha Landesmuseum catalogue of 1890 lists this object, no. 338 ["Gotha Landesmuseum Catalogue." Gotha: Gotha Museum, 1890].
[2] An invoice from the Newhouse Gallery dated March 4, 1932 states that both the Newhouse Gallery and Van Diemen Gallery guarentee the authenticity of the painting. However, the relationship between the two galleries and the reason for the joint ownership is unknown [SLAM document files].
[3] Invoice from the Newhouse Gallery dated April 28, 1932 [SLAM document files]. Minutes from Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, March 3, 1932.
Gotha Landesmuseum, Gotha, Thuringia, Germany [1]
- 1932
Van Diemen Gallery and Newhouse Gallery, New York, NY, USA (owned jointly) [2]
1932 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Newhouse Gallery [3]
Notes:
[1] Gotha Landesmuseum catalogue of 1890 lists this object, no. 338 ["Gotha Landesmuseum Catalogue." Gotha: Gotha Museum, 1890].
[2] An invoice from the Newhouse Gallery dated March 4, 1932 states that both the Newhouse Gallery and Van Diemen Gallery guarentee the authenticity of the painting. However, the relationship between the two galleries and the reason for the joint ownership is unknown [SLAM document files].
[3] Invoice from the Newhouse Gallery dated April 28, 1932 [SLAM document files]. Minutes from Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, March 3, 1932.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.