Venus, Juno and Minerva arguing for Jupiter over the Golden Apple of Eris

Janssens's Judgment of Paris — Venus, Juno, and Minerva arguing before Jupiter over the Golden Apple of Eris — is an 1615 mythological work in the Bavarian State Painting Collections depicting the event that precipitated the Trojan War. Three goddesses competing for a beauty prize, judged by the mortal Paris whose decision would favor Venus and her gift of Helen of Troy, was a subject with obvious appeal for Baroque painters: it required depicting three competing female figures in various states of undress, divine and mortal male observers, and the charged moment of judgment. Janssens handles the subject with his characteristic Antwerp Baroque idiom — monumental scale, warm flesh modeling, dramatic composition. The 1615 date places the work in his most productive period, when he was producing ambitious mythological works alongside religious subjects.

Canvas with the three goddesses as the compositional centerpiece, each asserting her own claim: Juno with her peacock and crown, Minerva with helmet and shield, Venus disrobing or nude with Cupid attending. Paris, the mortal judge, appears as a secondary figure with the golden apple ready to award. Jupiter may be indicated in the background or upper zone. The arrangement of three competing figures around a central judge requires careful compositional balance to prevent visual confusion.