The Judgment of Paris

The Judgment of Paris — the moment when the Trojan prince Paris awards the golden apple to Aphrodite, triggering the chain of events leading to the Trojan War — required painters to depict three goddesses simultaneously: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, each offering Paris a different bribe. Maratta's 1708 canvas at Tsarskoye Selo, painted when the artist was in his eighties and among the last works of his career, represents a remarkable late engagement with mythological subject matter. Tsarskoye Selo, the imperial palace outside St. Petersburg, received many European paintings during the collecting campaigns of Russian rulers from Peter the Great onward, and Maratta's name was prestigious enough to ensure acquisition. At this date, Maratta's style had mellowed into a gentle, refined classicism quite removed from the Baroque drama of mid-century Rome. The three goddess figures in the Judgment provided a compositional opportunity for a classical figure group comparable to the Three Graces tradition.

Late Maratta style shows softened contours and a muted, harmonious palette that anticipates the Rococo tendency toward gentle color rather than dramatic contrast. The three goddess figures likely appear in varied poses of self-presentation — each offering her gifts — while Paris's expression of deliberation anchors the composition. Tsarskoye Selo's climate and history of rehousing means condition assessment of such works is ongoing.