Black-Figure Trefoil Oinochoe (Wine Jug): Europa on Bull
Class of Vatican 440 (Greek, Attic)
c. 530 BCE
Medium
ceramic
Dimensions
h. 23.6 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1929.978
Tags
gender unknown
About this artwork
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.