The Judgment of Paris
c. 1528 · Oil on beech · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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About this work
- Artist
- Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553)
- Year
- c. 1528
- Medium
- Oil on beech
- Original size
- 101.9 × 71.1 cm
- Collection
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Movement
- Northern Renaissance
Paris, the Trojan prince, sits in full armour under a tree beside his white horse, and the old messenger god Mercury, in a feathered hat, presents the three goddesses Juno, Venus and Minerva, who stand naked but for jewels and a hat, waiting for him to judge which is the most beautiful; above, Cupid takes aim with his bow, and a hilltop castle and lake fill the distance. The story ends with Paris choosing Venus, who had promised him Helen of Sparta, a choice that led to the Trojan War. Lucas Cranach the Elder painted the subject many times, and the Metropolitan Museum dates this version to about 1528. He showed Paris as a German knight rather than a shepherd, following medieval retellings of the story. His slender, elongated nudes against a dark forest are characteristic of his work for the Saxon court in Wittenberg. The panel was bought by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1928.
This full-bleed edition prints the work edge to edge from a high-resolution scan of the original, very slightly cropped (a few percent at most) to fit the sheet. The gallery edition shows the whole work, uncropped. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
An armoured knight, a white horse and three slender goddesses in a dark wood before a distant castle and lake, for a living room, study or bedroom at 16×24 in black. A deep green, warm white or soft grey wall; it pairs with The Birth of Venus.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Northern Renaissance painting
- Era
- 16th century (c. 1528)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, bedroom, study or library, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway.
Framing. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or natural wood frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Judgment of Paris in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Judgment of Paris painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.



















