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19 The Judgment of Paris

The sixteenth-century Italian printmaker Marcantonio Raimondi created copperplate engravings based on drawings by contemporary artists and on ancient sculptures, and pioneered the genre of reproductive printmaking. He is known for creating a number of prints based on the drawings of Raphael. Through Raimondi’s magnificent prints, Raphael’s artistic vision spread far and wide, while Raimondi was able to enhance his reputation as an engraver who had earned the trust of Raphael, the era’s foremost painter.

The Judgment of Paris was a mythological tale frequently depicted in Renaissance art. In the tale, Paris, a Trojan prince, is made to decide which of three goddesses is most deserving of a golden apple inscribed with the words “To the Fairest One,” and he selects Venus, who promises him the hand of the most beautiful woman in the world in return. We can see Paris handing Venus the apple on the left-hand side of the scene.

Raimondi’s version of The Judgment of Paris had an immeasurable impact not only on Renaissance art but also on later Western art. Due to the loss of Raphael’s drawings, Raimondi’s work served as a reference for generations of artists, preserving Raphael’s invaluable vision. For example, the nineteenth-century French painter Édouard Manet drew inspiration from this work for his painting Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (1863), or The Luncheon on the Grass.