Proportions
The rape of Europe
Bel tempo ch’havete
| Catalogue ID | 1.10 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Master of the Roman Songbook (1650-1660); Domenico Jacovacci (1604-1661) |
| Object type | drawing · initial: Vignette - non allusive |
| Date | 1652 |
| Place | Rome |
| Collection | Biblioteca Casanatense (Rome) |
| Inv. no. | I-Rc Ms2478.04 |
| Tech. / support | brown ink, graphite, paper, pen |
| Measures | 60 × 80 mm |
| Subject | 25I1 — city-view in general; 'veduta' 92B1218 — Jupiter, usually in the shape of a white bull, abducts Europa and carries her across the water |
The vignette illustrates one of the mythological subjects recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses, The Rape of Europe. Europe is the daughter of the rulers of Tire in Phenicia (Lebanon). Of great beauty, she is coveted by Zeus. The king of the gods dresses up as a white bull to approach her on a beach where she is walking. When Europe approaches to pet him, the bull lies down inviting her to ride on his back. Zeus kidnaps Europe and flees across the sea to Crete. The composition sees the couple escorted into the waters by a flying Cupid, pulling the bull with a string of flowers. Ashore, on the left, are the female companions of Europa, moved to despair while bearing witness to the scene.
- Cantata
- Bel tempo ch’havete.
- Composer
- Arcangelo Lori (1615-1679)
- Manuscript
- Casanatense cantata album — I-Rc Ms2478
- CLORI
- https://cantataitaliana.it/scheda/773
Annibaldi, C. (1987). La cappella musicale... (pp. 44-46)
Bianco, Anna. Images for the Music: Drawings and secular cantatas. Ph.D. dissertation, Leiden University, 2025
Bianco, Anna. “The Master of the Roman Songbook.” Going South: Artistic Exchange between the Netherlands and Italy in the 17th Century, vol. IX, RKD & NIKI, 2023. (nr. 4)
Biblioteca Casanatense — 1873–nowadays current
