Rape of Europa
François Boucher·1733
Historical Context
Rape of Europa at the collection Lavalard Frères de Roye (1733) is an early mythological work showing the twenty-three-year-old Boucher already commanding the classical repertoire with the confidence that his Italian stay (beginning 1727) had given him. Jupiter's abduction of the Phoenician princess Europa — the god disguised as a magnificent white bull, carrying the unsuspecting girl into the sea — was one of the most frequently painted mythological subjects in European art, from Titian's famous version (c. 1560–62) through Rembrandt and Rubens to Boucher's numerous treatments. The subject's combination of animal metamorphosis, female vulnerability, and maritime drama suited Boucher's compositional strengths, and his early treatment shows the Italian Baroque influence absorbed during his Roman years combining with the nascent Rococo sensibility he was developing. The Lavalard brothers were Picardie collectors whose bequest to Amiens enriched the Musée de Picardie; this work appears to have remained separately catalogued.
Technical Analysis
Warmer, more saturated color than Boucher's later pastel palette reflects his recent Italian experience. The muscular bull and the dynamically posed Europa show the influence of Bolognese painting that Boucher absorbed in Rome before developing his lighter, more decorative mature style.
Look Closer
- ◆Jupiter's bull form is white, the divine disguise Ovid said was chosen for its beauty.
- ◆Europa garlands the bull's horns with flowers, unaware she is already moving toward the sea.
- ◆Women on the shore reach out in alarm, their gestures creating a wave of rising panic.
- ◆Boucher's blue-green sea contrasts with Europa's warm skin tones, dividing human and divine.
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