En romersk tyr. På plinten relief med Europas bortførelse 1889

Theodor Philipsen crafted this bronze sculpture of a Roman bull, its base adorned with Europa's abduction, sometime between 1840 and 1920. The bull, a symbol of virility and power, is here complicated by the relief depicting the mythical Europa. Zeus, in bull form, carries her away, a potent image of desire and dominance. This motif echoes through time, from ancient frescoes to Renaissance paintings, each reiteration layering new cultural inflections onto the primal scene. Consider the bull, how it resurfaces in Picasso's Guernica, embodying brute force, or in Minoan Crete, where bull-leaping rituals hinted at humanity's dance with untamed nature. The abduction itself evokes a psychological tension, a primal memory of desire, fear, and transformation. The sculpture serves as a powerful reminder of the cyclical nature of symbols, how they evolve, adapt, and continue to resonate within our collective consciousness.