The Judgment of Paris
Historical Context
Joachim Wtewael was a Utrecht Mannerist painter known for his brilliantly colored mythological scenes, often painted on copper in small format. This 1602 Judgment of Paris on copper depicts the Trojan prince choosing Venus as the most beautiful goddess, the mythological event that precipitated the Trojan War. Wtewael's elaborate Mannerist style persisted in Utrecht long after it had fallen from fashion elsewhere.
Technical Analysis
The oil on copper creates a luminous, jewel-like surface ideal for Wtewael's intricate Mannerist style. The crowded composition with its intertwined, muscular figures and brilliant palette demonstrates the Northern Mannerist aesthetic at its most elaborate.
Provenance
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio; (Harari & Johns, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art); Private collection, England?; Probably the Marques de Fuente Hermosa, Spain
