The Abduction of Europa

This theme entered art from ancient Greek mythology, where Europa, daughter of a Phoenician king, is abducted by Zeus, the chief Olympian god, who appears in the form of a bull. The image repeats itself across the centuries and rivals the popularity of many biblical subjects, even though those are far younger than the legend of Europa’s abduction.

I have chosen several works from world art, from the earliest I have encountered to one of the most famous later pieces, so you can see how artists reinterpreted this story from century to century.