Centaur with Club and Maiden on Bull 18th century

This sheet showing a centaur with club and maiden on bull was made by an anonymous artist using pen and brown ink with gray wash over graphite. The image brings together classical mythological themes: the centaur, a half-human, half-horse creature, and the maiden Europa’s abduction by Zeus in the form of a bull. We can read these images as visualizations of power relations, exploring ideas about domination and the subjugation of women and beasts. The centaur with his club raised, and the maiden being carried away on the bull, speak to the violence inherent in the stories, but might also challenge the traditional artistic interpretations of them. As art historians, we might look to the visual culture of the time and place in which this was made to understand the drawing’s position on these issues. We might consider this artist’s access to classical literary sources as well as to other works of art depicting these mythological themes. We would also consider the social contexts in which these works were consumed.