The Rape of Europa
1669
oil
canvas
From the collection of Ashmolean Museum
1669
oil
canvas
From the collection of Ashmolean Museum
The Rape of Europa is a 1669 oil by Niccolò Berrettoni, a Early Baroque Italian work, held at Ashmolean Museum.
This painting shows a group of women in flowing robes gathered around a figure lying on the ground. The scene is set in a landscape with trees, a building, and a body of water in the background. The colors are muted, with shades of brown, green, and blue dominating the palette. In the foreground, the women seem to be in distress, with one of them reaching out to the fallen figure. The overall mood of the painting is one of turmoil and chaos. To learn more about this style of painting, look up the technique of chiaroscuro.
Niccolò Berrettoni (1637–1682) was an artist, born in Province of Pesaro and Urbino.
See the richer artist page
