The painting was the result of a commission from the comte d'Artois. It shows David in his 'galante' phase and was interpreted as a satire on the manners of the comte d'Artois. The caryatids in the background are copies of those by Jean Goujon in the Louvre.
Étienne Coche de La Ferté and Julien Guey, "Analyse archéologique et psychologique d'un tableau de David : Les Amours de Pâris et d'Hélène", Revue archéologique, vol. XL, 1952, p. 129-61