Forging America: The Wolf Family Collection
Forging America: The Wolf Family Collection
Carl Milles
Europa and the Bull
Auction Closed
April 20, 05:26 PM GMT
Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Carl Milles
1875 - 1955
Europa and the Bull
inscribed Carl Milles (on the base); inscribed Herman Bergman Fud. (along the base)
bronze
31 in. (78.7 cm.) high
Conceived in 1921; this example cast circa 1926.
C.G. Laurin, Sweden
Christie's New York, December 5, 1986, lot 282
Wolf Family Collection No. 0874 (acquired from the above)
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987-89 (on loan)
Denver, Denver Art Museum, 1989-2023 (on loan)
Carl Milles was a Swedish-born sculptor who became a U.S. citizen in 1945 after the war. He served as the head of the sculpture department at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he resided for twenty years. He is best known for his expressive, monumental fountain bronzes.
Europa and the Bull is one of the sculptor's most iconic forms, derived from a Greek mythological narrative that was popular among other artists of his generation, most notably Paul Manship. It tells the story of Zeus' transformation into a bull in order to abduct the princess Europa. The present work is classical in both subject matter and style. Milles modeled the work for a fountain centerpiece located in the market square in Hamstad, Sweden. This particular example is remarkable for its rich brown and green patina.