Prague School, circa 1580
THE ABDUCTION OF EUROPA
oil on copper
16 by 21 5/8 in.; 40.6 by 55 cm
Private collection
In Greek
mythology Europa was the mother of King Minos of Crete, a woman with Phoenician
origin of high lineage, and for whom the continent Europe was named. The story
of her abduction by Zeus in the form of a white bull was a Cretan story; as
classicist Károly Kerényi points out, "most of the love-stories concerning
Zeus originated from more ancient tales describing his marriages with
goddesses. This can especially be said of the story of Europa.
The mythographers tell that Zeus was enamored of
Europa and decided to seduce or ravish her. He transformed himself into a tame
white bull and mixed in with her father's herds. While Europa and her helpers
were gathering flowers, she saw the bull, caressed his flanks, and eventually
got onto his back. Zeus took that opportunity and ran to the sea and swam, with
her on his back, to the island of Crete. He then revealed his true identity,
and Europa became the first queen of Crete. More on Europa
We do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.
If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.
No comments:
Post a Comment