The Banquet of the Gods

Stone’s throw away from the Eiffel Tower, in a Haussmannian apartment, I designed a perspectival painted ceiling for the dining room. There’s something magical about a painted ceiling—something that transforms a space, an open window into a world where everything is imaginable. Here, I decided to depict an underrepresented story from the Trojan Wars: its inception, the banquet of the gods where it all began. This time, the people dining beneath take part in the story.

Above the dining table, four panels create a perspective composition. Each contributes to the narration: the banquets where all the gods were invited, except Eris. She came anyway but was refused admission. In anger, she threw a golden apple among the wedding guests, inscribed with “For the fairest.” The ceiling captures that exact moment: you see Eris looking down at the diners, her wings fully spread as she throws the apple. Athena, Juno, and Venus, positioned at the corners of the room, reach out to claim the apple as theirs. The rest of the guests stop abruptly, the wine amphorae and glasses tipping and spilling in suspended motion.

architect : Patrick Martins Studio / photography : Clément Gerard