The Judgement of Paris

Oil on canvas

75 x 59 cm

Framed: 96 x 80 cm

Expert report by Prof. Giancarlo Sestieri (Rome, 12 January 2016)

The painting in question depicts one of the pivotal moments in classical mythology, namely ‘The Judgement of Paris’, a legendary episode which, in its conclusion, would lead to the outbreak of the Trojan War and the founding of Rome.

On the right, we see the Trojan prince Paris depicted as a young shepherd who, by order of Zeus, must choose which of Juno, Minerva and Aphrodite he considers to be the fairest of the Olympian goddesses, whilst behind him peeps out Hermes, the messenger of the gods who has guided the three contenders to this point.

Paris is depicted seated in a rocky setting, holding in his hand the famous golden apple (also known as the ‘apple of discord’), which he is to award as a prize to the winner.

To the right of the scene, the three goddesses stand out, captured in the act of baring themselves to reveal their absolute beauty and attempt to persuade the young man, the judge of this ‘early’ beauty contest.

As is well known, his choice will fall on Aphrodite, influenced by the promise that, once she was declared the winner, she would secure for him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta, who, to avenge the affront he had suffered, would declare the start of the war.

Our beautiful painting is a variation on the famous ‘Judgement of Paris’ painted by the Neapolitan Luca Giordano (Naples, 1634 – 1705) around 1682, during his stay in Florence, and now housed at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg (**).

Our version faithfully follows the famous original and has been specifically attributed by Prof. Giancarlo Sestieri to a painter from Giordano’s workshop. The scholar attributes the work precisely to Nicola Malinconico (Naples, 1663 – 1726), one of the master’s foremost and most gifted direct pupils and an important exponent of the late Baroque Neapolitan school. Also known for his exceptional ability to imitate Giordano’s stylistic signature, he produced numerous variations on mythological and pastoral scenes intended to adorn important noble residences.

In this specific case, due to the extraordinary popularity of the iconography of the painting in question, the work was replicated and reinterpreted numerous times by his extremely busy Neapolitan workshop and his closest pupils to meet the demands of private patrons.

Compared to the original, this version is smaller in size and therefore simplified in composition; we find the same theatrical arrangement, with a style characterised by strong contrasts of light and shadow that emphasise the anatomy of the figures and the atmosphere of the moment, demonstrating just how deeply Giordano’s models had been internalised by the painters of his school.

Compared to Giordano’s autograph version, Malinconico’s interpretation is distinguished by a particular focus on the texture of the drapery and a modulation of light which, whilst remaining theatrical and Baroque, tends towards rich chromatic tones applied with great softness. The bodies of the goddesses take on an academic grace typical of the painter’s mature phase, when he began to blend Giordano’s dynamism with the classicism of Francesco Solimena.

**

Luca Giordano, The Judgement of Paris

Oil on canvas, 247 x 326 cm.

Hermitage Museum

FURTHER INFORMATION:

The work is complete with an attractive frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.

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