Portrait of Wigbold Slicher and Elisabeth Spiegel as Paris Handing Venus the Appel 1656

Ferdinand Bol’s “Portrait of Wigbold Slicher and Elisabeth Spiegel as Paris Handing Venus the Apple” (1656) is a double portrait of a couple, Wigbold Slicher and Elisabeth Spiegel, as a metaphor for the Judgement of Paris from Greek mythology. Slicher, dressed in a red robe, offers a fruit to a partially nude Spiegel, representing Venus, who holds their child. The painting shows a clear influence of Bol’s mentor, Rembrandt van Rijn, with its focus on light and shadow and the use of allegory in the portrayal of the couple. This double portrait, although a historical scene, depicts the couple’s love and affection.