The interior of this dish is decorated with a famous scene from Greek mythology, showing Zeus, in the form of a white bull, abducting Europa, daughter of the Phoenician king, to the island of Crete.
Europa’s legs are raised and tilted, and she clutches the hem of her fluttering clothes, effectively conveying her movement and fear at the precise moment of being taken. After the abduction, Europa gave birth to Zeus’s son Minos, who founded the Minoan civilization, which is considered to be the first civilization in Europe.