PPN786187255 (Jupiter und Europa) (Die Götterliebschaften) (1590)

This engraving depicts a muscular, bearded Jupiter embracing the nude Europa on a rocky coastline. In the foreground, Jupiter's eagle sits with a cluster of thunderbolts in its talons, while the background shows the princess riding the back of a white bull through the sea. The image captures the moment Jupiter returns to human form after abducting Europa and carrying her to his island realm.

Drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, this print reflects the Renaissance tradition of interpreting classical myths as sophisticated allegories of divine intervention and natural philosophy. Hendrick Goltzius and the Haarlem Mannerists used these narratives to explore complex human anatomy and the interplay between the celestial and terrestrial worlds.