Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena preparing themselves for the contest of beauty before Paris; from 'Recueil d'estampes d'après les plus beaux tableaux et d'après les plus beaux desseins qui sont en France, Cabinet Crozat' after Perino del Vaga

Art Historical Context

This striking etching and engraving captures a pivotal moment from Greek mythology: the goddesses Hera (Juno), Aphrodite (Venus), and Athena (Minerva) preparing for the Judgment of Paris. The three deities, shown as graceful female nudes, ready themselves for the famous beauty contest that would ultimately spark the Trojan War. The composition, originally designed by the Italian Mannerist artist Perino del Vaga (Pietro Buonaccorsi) in the 16th century, highlights their elegant poses and classical beauty. Created around 1729–40 by engraver Philippe Simonneau, this print forms part of the influential “Recueil Crozat,” one of the earliest major French publications reproducing celebrated paintings and drawings from private collections. Through the meticulous techniques of etching and engraving, Simonneau translates Perino’s fluid Mannerist style into a detailed black-and-white image, allowing wider audiences to study and admire Renaissance and Mannerist masterpieces. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this work exemplifies how reproductive prints served as vital vehicles for sharing art across Europe in the 18th century. Its generous scale and refined linework invite viewers to appreciate both the mythological narrative and the technical artistry of printmaking.

About the Artist

Perino del Vaga (Pietro Buonaccorsi)|Philippe Simonneau · 1501–1547

Perino del Vaga, born Piero Bonaccorsi in 1501 near Florence, emerged as one of the most elegant painters of the Mannerist era. Orphaned early—his mother died when he was two months old and his father, a gambler turned soldier, left him in the care of a stepmother—Perino received an unconventional start, apprenticed first to a druggist and then to the mediocre Andrea de' Ceri. At age eleven, he en...