The Judgement of Paris

A detailed drawing of the classical myth where Paris chooses Venus as the most beautiful goddess. In the foreground, river gods recline while a winged figure of Victory hovers above the central goddesses; in the sky, Apollo drives his sun chariot through a wheel of the zodiac as Jupiter watches from the clouds. The composition creates a panoramic view that links the earthly contest to the celestial order.

In Renaissance Neoplatonism, particularly in the circle of Marsilio Ficino, the Judgment of Paris was interpreted as an allegory for the choice between the three types of life: the contemplative (Minerva), the active (Juno), and the pleasurable (Venus). The inclusion of the zodiac wheel emphasizes the astrological and cosmological dimensions often applied to classical myths by humanists seeking to reconcile pagan narrative with natural philosophy.