Audio: The Story of the Judgement of Paris

NARRATOR: The cabinet in front of you celebrates the queen of the Roman gods - Juno wife of Jupiter. You can see her looking down at you from the middle square near the top. Right at the very top is Juno's symbol, the peacock, whose tail decorates some of the smaller panels. Other decorations refer to the story of the Judgement of Paris.

STORYTELLER: Once there was a splendid wedding feast and Jupiter asked all the gods except Eris goddess of arguments. When she wasn't allowed to enter she threw into the feast instead a golden apple. On it was written, to the most beautiful.

NARRATOR: You can see both sides of the apple, with its Latin inscription, on the panels below the right-hand mirror.

STORYTELLER: The apple lived up to the name of the goddess who gave it by causing a furious argument between three competing beauties.

NARRATOR: One was Minerva, goddess of wisdom, seen here on the left, with helmet and olive branch, the second was Venus goddess of love, on the right with a dove, the symbol of love, and the third was Juno herself.

STORYTELLER: Jupiter could see the risks of deciding such a contest himself and so sent the quarreling goddesses down to earth where a shepherd called Paris would judge them. Each tried bribery. Juno promised him land and riches; Minerva - victory in battle and Venus the love of any woman he chose. Paris awarded the prize to Venus.

NARRATOR: If you look closely at her panel on the right, in one corner you can see the apple which signalled her victory.

STORYTELLER: Paris, in turn, claimed his reward: Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. He stole her away from her husband and by doing so started the great war of Troy.