The Judgment of Paris
ca. 1804–12
Medium
Graphite; squared in graphite
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 1/2 in. × 9 in. (19.1 × 22.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Roberta J.M. Olson and Alexander B.V. Johnson, 2021
Accession Number
2021.375.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Baron François Gérard’s *The Judgment of Paris* (ca. 1804–12) captures a pivotal moment from Greek mythology in which the Trojan prince Paris must award a golden apple to the fairest among the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. As a leading French Neoclassical artist and favored portraitist of Napoleon’s court, Gérard frequently turned to classical subjects that celebrated ideals of beauty, heroism, and moral choice. This graphite study reveals his elegant draftsmanship, with fluid contours and subtle modeling that emphasize the graceful forms of the female nudes and the dynamic presence o...