The Judgement of Paris, 1710-1720 This oil on plaster wall painting was once thought to be by Antonio Verrio (about 1639-1707), a famous Italian artist who introduced this style of painting to England. Recent research suggests that the artist was actually Pierre Berchet (1659-1720), a French artist who worked in the style of Verrio. The scene is taken from a story in Greek mythology, where Paris, a mortal, was asked to judge which of three goddesses, Hera, Aphrodite or Athena, was the fairest. Paris chose Aphrodite after she promised him the love of the most beautiful woman, Helen of Sparta. This was one of the 'events' that led to the Trojan War.