The Judgment of Paris

Venus Persuades Helen

Nigel Bruce

• 1 min read

Persuasion or procuring?

Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

One of the unanswered questions about The Judgment of Paris is why did Helen of Sparta agree, if in fact she did, to be the "prize" awarded to Paris if he chose Aphrodite. Had Helen even met Paris? Did Aphrodite cast a spell on her? Was she miserable in her marriage to Menelaus? Did she take many lovers?

Above is Angelica Kauffmann's 1790 painting, Venus Persuades Helen to Fall in Love with Paris. One could be forgiven for thinking that Venus (second from left) acts here as a procuress for Paris. This was a theme she visited several times in her career.