Europa and the Bull

Giovanni Volpato was a successful engraver, art dealer, and amateur archaeologist before he founded a porcelain factory in Rome in 1785. Pope Pius VI granted him a virtual monopoly in the city. Volpato specialized in the production of white bisque tabletop sculptures representing famous ancient marbles and figures from classical mythology. This refined statuette depicts the beautiful maiden Europa carried off by the god Jupiter, who transformed himself into a bull. While this mythical tale is typically shown as a violent abduction, this work casts it as a tender love scene, complete with a playful Cupid accompanying the happy couple. The terracotta model, made by an unknown sculptor, is extant (private collection; see Philadelphia 2000, eds. Bowron and Rishel, no. 101). The only other known porcelain example from Volpato's shop is in the Cini Collection at the Musei Capitolini, Rome.