
Cleveland Museum of Art
Black-Figure Trefoil Oinochoe (Wine Jug): Europa on Bull
Class of Vatican 440LinkedCulture matchlcp-8247ab1c941f
- Date
- c. 530 BCE
- Medium
- ceramic
- Culture
- Greek, Attic
- Department
- Greek and Roman Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 111499
From the Cleveland Museum of Art record
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. The continent of Europe takes its name from Europa, a Phoenician princess abducted by Zeus.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Provenance
- ?-1929: (Mr. Mario de Ciccio, Naples, Italy, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) | 1929-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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