Art Institute of Chicago

The Judgment of Paris

Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, c. 1480-1534)

Date

1517/ 20

Medium

Engraving in black on cream laid paper

Culture

Italy

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

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 to convey unprecedented tonal complexity. By scratching the surface of the copperplate with a pumice stone, particularly in the foreground, he created a silvery mid-tone that lends a painterly quality to the print. The engraving became one of the most influential and widely copied prints of the Renaissance.

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