Europa and the Bull

Europa and the Bull was the first illustration for Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales. Drawn in December 1916 it was to be Dulac's last Gift Book for the publishers Hodder & Stoughton with whom Dulac had worked since 1908. He was first commissioned by them to illustrate The Tempest which helped launch Dulac's career as an illustrator. With paper restrictions during the war, publication of the book was postponed until 1918. In Europa and the Bull the influence of Japanese woodblocks is evident in Dulac's rendering of the sea and use of colorful patterning in the flora.