The Departure of Helen and her Entourage for Cythera  1468

This is the first of a series of three large paintings, originally for a palatial home, probably (to judge from the style) from somewhere in the Veneto or Marches regions of Italy. Together they depict a key episode in the ancient Greek romance of Paris and Helen. According to the ancient poets, Venus, goddess of love, promised Paris, Prince of Troy, that he would marry th...