Engraving, 1546. 292x435 mm; 11 3/4x15 3/8 inches, thread margins. A very good impression of this scarce engraving with strong contrasts.
According to the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, where there is another impression of this subject, "Though Raphael is credited as the inventor, it is unlikely that he ever produced such a composition. The entire sheet was almost certainly the creation of Bonasone (circa 1498-after 1547), who used Raphael's name to increase sales of the engraving. The characters in the story are shown from above, which both opens up the space for the different episodes and increases the pathos in the action. In the midground, Europa, holding a garland in her hand, is climbing on the back of the apparently tame bull; the princess and the beast–actually a transformation of Zeus–reappear in the sea, as the god flees with his captive towards Crete. The cows in whose company Zeus concealed himself are dotted across the shore and hillside. Europa's companions recall images of the three Graces, while the shepherds, one playing the panpipes, the other leaning on his stick, are figures from the realm of bucolic poetry." Bartsch 109.
