The Judgment of Midas
Paolo Veronese·c. 1558
Historical Context
The Judgment of Midas at the Gardner Museum depicts the myth where King Midas judged Pan superior to Apollo in a musical contest and was given donkey ears as punishment. Veronese treats the fable as an elegant pastoral scene with characteristic humor and visual richness. The Midas myth carried a broader warning about excessive love of wealth that made it particularly appropriate for the moralized mythological programs common in Venetian palace decoration.
Technical Analysis
The multi-figure composition groups the divine musicians and their royal judge in a landscape setting. Veronese's luminous palette and attention to varied figure types create a lively narrative scene.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice how Veronese stages this scene of "The Judgment of Midas" with the theatrical grandeur and luminous color that defined Venetian Renaissance painting.
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