Follower of Simon Vouet, Nude The Rape of Europa, 18th Century Oil Painting on Canvas, Framed

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Simon vouet (paris, 1590 – 1649)
workshop/follower of

the rape of europa

oil on canvas (116 x 92 cm - … Read more Simon vouet (paris, 1590 – 1649)
workshop/follower of

the rape of europa

oil on canvas (116 x 92 cm - framed 145 x 118 cm)

full details of this painting

a cleverly orchestrated deception by zeus disguised as a spring idyll: this is the beating heart of the fascinating the abduction of europa, based on a painting by simon vouet (paris, 1590 – 1649), created around 1640 and now exhibited in madrid at the renowned thyssen-bornemisza museum (image 1 - https://www.museothyssen.org/en/collection/artists/vouet-simon/rape-europa ).

the scene, imbued with great sensuality and elegance, was conceived by vouet during his stay in paris, at the height of his successful career. It was part of a cycle of works sharing a graceful taste for various secular themes, intended to decorate the state rooms of the most renowned royal and aristocratic residences in paris.

the painting, a visual transposition of a passage from greek mythology (ovid's metamorphoses, ii.836-875), depicts the turbulent moment when zeus, infatuated with the beautiful phoenician princess europa, transforms into a gentle white bull to approach her, gain her trust, and then abduct her.

unlike other versions, whether dramatic or violent, vouet's composition focuses on an idyllic atmosphere; the french painter does not depict a violent attack, but rather depicts the moment before the drama begins, using a theatrical direction typical of the french baroque: the beautiful girl is positioned on the back of the white bull and tries to maintain her balance by holding onto the animal's horn with her hand.

two maids assist the princess; one of them, dressed in an antique rose dress, adorns the bull's head and europa's arms with garlands of fresh flowers, a gesture that conveys a sense of serenity, almost evoking a wedding ritual, unaware of the impending abduction.

in the upper part of the sky, two small winged cherubs float in the sky holding wreaths of flowers, inserting a classic decorative and allegorical element typical of the 17th-century figurative tradition, accentuating the graceful and poetic tone of the painting.

the sensuality and sentimentality that characterize the work are inspired by veronese's canvases, particularly the rape of europa in the doge's palace in venice, and by the works of bolognese artists active in rome in the first half of the 17th century, such as domenichino, francesco albani, and especially guido reni, whom vouet likely saw during his trip to italy.

this composition became widely known at the time thanks to the print by michel dorigny, a talented engraver, vouet's pupil, and court painter, created in 1642. Dorigny was tasked with reproducing and promoting the master's masterpieces. It thus played a fundamental role in the history of art, leading to the creation of several reproductions even at the time.

this matrix allowed the model to spread throughout europe, and copies of this etching (which shows the scene mirrored or in reverse) are now held in prestigious italian and international museums, such as the capodimonte museum in naples (imm. 2 - https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/historicorartisticproperty/1500340406 ) and the accademia carrara in bergamo.

the great demand in the art market for vouet's sensual mythological subjects prompted his own workshop, and several contemporary copyists, to produce painted replicas based precisely on the clear graphic outline provided by dorigny.

our beautiful version, undoubtedly derived from the engraving because it is presented in "reverse" (i.e., mirrored) form, is a work presumably created by one of his assistants or shortly after his death. Simon vouet ran a highly organized studio in paris to handle the numerous commissions from the court and the nobility, and in our case, the drawing is faithfully reproduced, surpassing the original in the thyssen-bornemisza museum.

additional information:

the painting is presented in a beautiful gilded frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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