The subject of the Minotaur was conceived by Rodin between 1883 and 1885. It was inspired by Greek mythology and the story of King Minos who was the son of Zeus and Europa.

According to Greek mythology, King Minos angered the god Poseidon by not sacrificing a giant white bull that he had promised to the Olympian. Poseidon took revenge on the King by cursing his wife, Queen Pasiphäe, with an insatiable passion for the bull, which resulted in the birth of a minotaur named Asterius. Upon learning of his wife's shameful indiscretion, King Minos had the Minotaur, a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, imprisoned in a vast labyrinth built by Daedalus. Having defeated the Athenians in battle, Minos demanded that each year they send him seven of their best warriors and seven of their most beautiful women for him to sacrifice to the monster.

Rodin was an avid reader of Ovid's Metamorphoses and would have been familiar with the tale. He was also an admirer of the French Poet Stéhane Mallarme, who wrote a poem about the Minotaur entitled Aprés Midi d’un Faune, and to whom Rodin gave a plaster version of this work in 1893. The sculpture is also known under the titles of Jupiter Taureau, Faune et Nymphe and Après Midi d'un Faune. John Tancock, author of ‘The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin’ remarked, “Minotaur points to Rodin's continued enthusiasm for the art of the eighteenth century [...]. It may be for this reason that it was one of the most widely admired by early connoisseurs.” (Tancock, 1976, pp. 271- 272).

Though Minotaur represented Rodin’s admiration for the art of previous eras, the powerfully erotic theme of the man with the head of a bull would later inspire a new generation of artists, notably Pablo Picasso. The mythological themes behind Minotaur allowed Rodin to further explore sexuality by depicting more erotic configurations with this piece without fear of censorship. The present work captures the moment when the Minotaur first catches a sacrificial woman. Contrary to how the myth might conceive the Minotaur, there is no evidence of violence or anger within the piece. In fact, Rodin seems to have perfectly positioned the two figures in a way that leaves this work open to personal interpretation concerning their motivations and desires, both sexual and intrinsic. The woman sits atop the Minotaur’s lap and although she leans away from the creature’s beastly face, she appears to be held rather gently and wilfully in the Minotaur’s human arms. As such, there is an erotically charged conflict between terror and surrender evident within the work. Rodin’s masterful detailing also accentuates the soft, voluptuous features of the female, which contrast powerfully with the intimidating musculature and animalistic nature of the Minotaur.