Black-Figure Trefoil Oinochoe (Wine Jug): Europa on Bull

Description

Calmly seated sidesaddle on a bull, the woman depicted on the front of this small wine jug probably represents Europa, the Phoenician princess abducted by the Greek god Zeus. According to myth, Zeus either sent a bull or transformed himself into one, then carried Europa across the sea to Crete. There, she bore Zeus two or three sons, including the legendary king Minos. The bull ascended to the sky as the constellation Taurus.

Provenance

(Mr. Mario de Ciccio, Naples, Italy, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?-1929); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1929-)

Black-Figure Trefoil Oinochoe (Wine Jug): Europa on Bull

Class of Vatican 440

c. 530 BCE

Accession Number

1929.978

Medium

ceramic

Dimensions

Overall: 23.6 cm (9 5/16 in.)

Classification

Ceramic

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund