After Marcel DEBUT (1865-1933) - Lot 100

After Marcel DEBUT (1865-1933) The Abduction of Europe Brown patina bronze proof signed on the terrace, standing on a gray marble base 29 x 40.5 x 15 cm Marcel DEBUT, sociétaire des artistes français, honorable mention in 1895. Europe was the daughter of Agénor, king of Sidonie. She came every day to the shore with her friends, the virgins of Tyre, "to indulge in innocent games". Zeus, captivated by her beauty, fell in love with her. He dispatched Hermes, who led the king's flock to the seashore with his flute, a ploy that enabled the ruler of the gods to hide, transformed into a bull. However, he did not go unnoticed by Europa, who was moved by his whiteness and his "gentle, caressing" gaze. She adorned his horns with garlands of flowers, unaware that she was flattering a god, or rather a lover. At last, she dared to place herself on the animal's back, which immediately carried her out to sea. Ovid, Metamorphoses, Book II. p. 833-75.