This document traces the depiction of the myth of Europa and the bull across different cultures and time periods, from ancient Greece to modern day Europe. It provides over 100 examples of artistic representations of Europa and the bull in sculptures, paintings, coins, stamps, and other mediums from the 6th century BC to present. The myth has been a popular subject and symbol within European visual culture for over two millennia.

1. The long artful journey of a myth in
time and place
Europa and the bull

2. Ancient Times

3. Statuette of Beotia
(550-500 BC)
Louvre Museum,
France

4. Metope from Temple,
(510-550BC),
Archaeological
Museum, Palermo, Italy

5. Black-figure hydria
(540-530 BC) Louvre
Museum, France

6. Europa and the bull
on a Greek vase,
(480 BC) Tarquinia
Museum, Italy

7. Europa and the bull
Terracotta group
from Athens,
(480–460 BC)
National Antiquity
Collection, Munich,
Germany

8. Coin from Cyprus,
(4th century BC)
Red Figure Shape Cylix
(330 - 320 BC ), Kunst Historical
Museum, Vienna, Austria

9. Europa riding the bull,
Fresco from Pompeii
(1st century AD)
Naples, National
Archaeological Museum,
Italy

10. 15th-16th-17th-18th
century

11. “The Rape of Europa”, (1470),
Liberale Da Verona, Louvre, France

12. Andrea Riccio, “Rape of
Europa”, (1510), Museum
of Fine Arts, Budapest,
Hungary

13. “The Rape of Europa”,
Antonio Carracci,
1610
National Gallery, Bologna, Italy
“The Rape of Europa”
Hendrik van Balen, 1615
Belgium

14. “The Abduction of Europa”, Rembrandt van Rijn
(Dutch painter), 1632

15. “The Rape of Europa”,
Guido Reni (made for
King Wladislaw of
Poland), 1640

16. “ Europa and the bull”, Claude Lorrain, 1667
Royal Collection, London, UK

17. “Europa: a new, accurate description” (part of an old
map), Frederick de Wit, 1700, The Netherlands

18. “The Rape of Europa”, Francesco Zuccarelli, 1740-50
Academia Gallery, Venice, Italy

19. “Allegory over Europe”, Nicolai Abildgaard,
1780, The Amalienborg Museum, Denmark

20. Palace of the Marqueses de
Tango, 18th century,
Lisbon, Portugal

21. 19th-20th-21st century

22. “Europa riding the bull”,
19th century, Palace of
Luxembourg, France
“Europa”, George Frederic
Watts, 1870, UK

23. “The Rape of Europa”,
Paul Gaughin (French)
1898-1899

24. Carl Milles, (born in
Sweden), “Europa and the
Bull”, 1929

25. “The Rape of Europa”,
Pablo Picasso, 1930,
Spain

26. “The Rape of Europa”,
Jacques Lipchitz (born
in Lithuania), 1941

27. “Europa”,
Svetlin Vassilev
(Bulgarian), 2007

28. “Europa and the Bull”,
Oliver Priebe, Germany,
2009

29. “Europa’s escape”,
Sally Fryer, UK
“Zeus and Europa”,
Roy Tappenden, UK
Kenneth Zammit Tabona
“The Rape of Europa”,
Malta

30. “ The Rape of Europa”,
brass monument,
N. Koundouros, N.
Sotiriadis, P. Sotiriadis,
Crete, Greece

31. Europa riding the Bull, Headquarters of the
Council of the European Union, Brussels, Belgium
“The Rape of Europa”,
Hague, The Netherlands
Europa statue – in front of
the European Parliament
in Strasbourg, France

32. “Europa and the bull”, Eric Claus,
The Netherlands
“Europa”, ceramic,
Ivan Hodonsky,
Czech Republic
“Europa on the bull”, Jits Bakker,
1998, Museum Centre of Turku,
Finland

33. “Europa and the Bull”,
Anthony Caro, UK
“The Rape of Europa”, sculpture,
Rumen Mihaylov, Bulgaria
20th century porcelain statuette,
Hungary
19th century porcelain statuette,
France

34. The myth of Europa
in stamps

35. …in coins and banknotes
The 5 German Mark bank note in 1948
The German ECU coin (before the Euro) in 1992
The 2 Euro coin

36. …and in rugs
Designed and hooked by Jule Marie Smith