Europa and the Bull
ca. 1749–59
Medium
Soft-paste porcelain
Dimensions
Height (to broken fragment of sockety): 7 in. (17.8 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
British, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1971
Accession Number
1971.75.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate *Europa and the Bull*, whimsical soft-paste porcelain figurine crafted by the Saint James's Factory in London around 1749–59. Standing just 7 inches tall, this charming piece captures the ancient Greek myth of Europa, the Phoenician princess abducted by Zeus in the guise of a bull. Frozen in mid-romp across the waves, Europa clings playfully to the bull's horns, her flowing drapery and the creature's dynamic pose evoking movement and delight. Produced during Britain's golden age of porcelain experimentation, Saint James's Factory was a key player in the mid-18th-century ra...
About the Artist
Saint James's Factory · 1749–1759
**Saint James's Factory: A Jewel in Early English Porcelain** The Saint James's Factory, a pioneering British porcelain manufactory, emerged in London around 1749 under the direction of Charles Gouyn, a Huguenot jeweler from Dieppe who died in 1785. Operating from premises near the Turk's Head on Bennett Street in St. James's until about 1759, Gouyn had previously collaborated with Nicholas Sprim...