Paris and Helen

David painted Paris and Helen around 1788, a mythological painting depicting the seduction of the Spartan queen by the Trojan prince in the chambers of Sparta — the event whose consequences would include the Trojan War. The composition shows a more sensuous and intimate David than the severe Stoicism of his history paintings: the bedroom setting, the two reclining figures, and the warm, amber light create a scene of erotic anticipation rather than civic virtue. Helen's ambiguous expression — desire, uncertainty, submission — gives the work a psychological complexity that distinguishes it from more conventional treatments of the couple who would become history's most famous lovers.

David renders the lovers in an ornate interior with meticulous attention to Greek architectural details and furnishings. The smoothly modeled figures and warm palette show an unusually decorative side of David's art, influenced by the patron's preference for sensual subjects.