Rape of
Europa
c. 1684–1685
Oil on canvas
69 1/4 x 90 1/2 in.
Milan, private collection
This recently
rediscovered work is an impressive addition to Giordano’s
catalogue. The story of Europa, the beautiful daughter of the
Phoenician King Agenor, abducted to Crete by Jupiter disguised
as a bull, was one of the most frequently represented episodes
from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Giordano’s version is
particularly poetic. The sea maidens with coral in their hair
add a particularly Neapolitan touch to the representation: coral
was widely used by Neapolitan craftsmen.
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LUCA GIORDANO 1634–1705 intro
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