Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

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Title: Casket Panel with Rape of Europa
Creator:
Description: According to Hesiod, Europa was a high-born Phoenician woman whom Zeus abducted while in the guise of a white bull. While gathering flowers with her female companions, Europa encountered the bull and sat on its back. The bull then carried Europa to the sea and swam to Crete where Zeus revealed his true form to Europa and she became Queen of Crete. Here Europa appears velificans, that is, framed by a billowing garment. This technique originated in ancient Rome and usually is applied to deities or divinized beings. She sits on the bull, which carries her towards the sea. Two of her companions run after her with outstretched arms. A putto holds a wreath and stands in front of the bull while looking back to Ares and Aphrodite, who stand to the right. Triton, appears in the water with a conch shell in his right hand and a staff in his left. According to some accounts of the tale, he blew on the conch shell to provide a wedding song for Zeus and Europa. A putto holds a wreath and stands in front of the bull while looking back to Mars and Venus who stand to the right. Mars takes Venus' chin in his hand, a medieval gesture of courtship and conquest.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
Subject (See Also): Byzantium Classical Influences Mythology- Classical Rape of Europa (Mythological Motif) Venus (Mythological Figure)
Geographic Area: Eastern Mediterranean
Century: 12
Date:
Related Work: See all the panels of the Veroli Casket: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70463/veroli-casket-casket-unknown/
Current Location: London, Victoria & Albert Museum, A.541-1910
Original Location:
Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Sculptures
Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Caskets; Ivory
Donor:
Height/Width/Length(cm): 5 cm/13 cm/
Inscription:
Related Resources: