The Rape of Europa

The Rape of Europa

SK-A-4967

signature: ‘NVerkolje’

Zeus, the king of the gods, has disguised himself as a bull in order to seduce the chaste maiden Europa. To their right Cupid stands ready to shoot his arrows of love. In depicting this story from the Metamorphoses, the famous book by the Roman poet Ovid, Verkolje demonstrates his knowledge of Classical literature. Moreover, he proves his artistic virtuosity by means of the complex composition with numerous figures.

Michiel Jonker, 'Nicolaas Verkolje : een malse wijze van werken', Museum tijdschrift 24 (2011) nr. 1, p. 16-19, afb.

painter: Nicolaas Verkolje

c. 1735 - c. 1740

olieverf op paneel

height 57.7 cm x width 72.8 cm

Purchased with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt, with additional funding from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds

purchase 2001

Public domain

Inv.;…; ? sale, Grimaldi de Cadix et al.[section Grimaldi], Amsterdam (F. Muller), 4 December 1912 sqq., no. 69, fl. 55;{Copy RKD; please note this painting is on canvas, while the painting in the museum is on panel.} …; sale, Blanchet-Crignon, Versailles, 21 May 2000;{Note RMA; the sale catalogue has not been located.} …; anonymous sale, New York (Sotheby's), 25 January 2001, no. 170, $ 379,750, to the dealer R. Noortman, Maastricht;{Note RMA.} from whom, fl. 950,000, to the museum, with support from the Vereniging Rembrandt and the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, 2001

Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

• Michiel Jonker, 'Nicolaas Verkolje : een malse wijze van werken', Museum tijdschrift 24 (2011) nr. 1, p. 16-19, afb.
• Documentatiemap.
• R.J. te Rijdt, 'Europa en de Stier', Bulletin van de Vereniging Rembrandt 11 (2001), p. 23-26.

To refer to this object, please use the following persistent URL:

https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200416106