The Greek poet Lycrophon (3rd cty B.C.) had a new interpretation of the Europa Myth - a Cretan ship with kuretes took a Saraphic girl as a prisoner of war and brought her to Crete on a ship with a bull's head on its prow -. This less known interpretation of the ancient Europa myth has found an ultra modern expression.  A Dutch tall-ship, actually a  three masted bark, called Europa has Europa 's torso painted along side her name and next to a friendly white curly head of a bull on its prow.

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This touristship is owned by Rederij Bark Europa B.V.(P.O. Box 23183, NL3001 KD Rotterdan, Netherlands ). One can sign on against a nice sum for a  journey, which can take one to two years. The Europa ship has made several worldtrips all the way down to the South Pole and back.

July, 10,  Rotterdam,            Peter Gommers

The annual january Art Exchange TEFAF of this year in Maastricht NL closed already over six months ago. But there is still this picture of a 19th century Italian jewel of an ivory inlaid ebony table by the famous Italian ebeniste Giovanni Battista Gatti, 1816-1889

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Sorry, for the poor state of the pictures, but you can still imagine the exquisite  inlaid medaillons with their superb surrounding smaller ivory inlaid figures. The central large medaillon shows Europa sitting on bull/Zeus accompanied by friends intermingled by cupidos, which makes this image rococo styled. The table could be called Italian new-renaissance.

Maastricht,    3 august,                with thanks to an attentive observer, P.B.

A hotelchain took over the beautiful Dutch Central Bank building of the Hague, Netherlands. Its lunchroom at street level  still features the beautiful four large stained glass windows. The windows look out at the  Royal Palace of Noordeinde. 

In top are inserted representative animals of the four continents. The Giraffe for Africa; the Elephant for Asia ......

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Of course our continent is not simply represented by the bull, but by the Greek godbull Zeus carrying the 3000 years old princess Europa, as you can see.

September, 2018   The Hague, Netherlands    several visitors

In 2016 Scotland voted against the Brexit. Scotland always felt part of Europe and kept strong relations with the mainland of Europe.    No wonder the Scottish National Museum features a beautiful image of Europe. Its personification, Europa, sitting graciously, though somewhat melancholicly on bull Zeus. one is tempted to interpret god Zeus as England forcing Brexit on Scotland, while Scotland wonders what is happening to her.

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The statuette about 40cm long, shows a languishing looking Europa with a neo-classical  hairdo. The bull looks domininating and full of its own strong emotions. The artist is the French sculptor, Jean-Baptiste  Jules Klagmann, Paris 1810 -1867, was an important representative of the 20th century French romantic statuary. It was finished by Minton & Company,Staffordshire, in the UK, so before brexit. This pottery company developed a biscuit-porcelain which gives its product an impression of marble. It is called Parian or statuary porcelain. After Paros, the Greek island, with its fine textured marble.

Edinburgh,  november, 2018    Mr & Mrs I. Kors