File:Fragment of a Relief with the Judgement of Paris 01.jpg

English: Boncompagni Ludovisi Collection.

Proconnesian marble.

The fragmentary relief, once believed to be part of a large sarcophagus, depicts one of best known Greek myths; the Judgement of Paris. The young Trojan prince, who can be recognised in the centre of the composition by his Oriental cap, has been summoned by Zeus to choose the most beautiful goddess among Hera, the first figure on the upper left, Athena with the helmet, on the left between Hera and Herme, and Aphrodite, to Hermes' left. The scene takes place in a pastoral environment, as is made evident by the presence of the shepherdess Oenone, the companion of Paris on Mount Ida, and by the personification of Mount Ida, the bearded figure sitting in a tree. Paris will choose Aphrodite, thanks to the intercession of her son Eros. As his reward, he will be given beautiful Helen, whose abduction will mark the beginning of the Trojan War.

The work was radically altered in the 17th Century by Alessandro Algardi, but his chalk-admissions were removed in 1901. The extremely refined carving techniques and the precise notation of the design lead to its dating in the Hadrianic era, first half of the 2nd Century AD.