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-)
Accession Number
1929.978
Medium
ceramic
Dimensions
Overall: 23.6 cm (9 5/16 in.)
Classification
Ceramic
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund