O Adam / had gy niet in deze vrucht / gebeten / O Eva / had gy u voor Satans list gewacht / De dood had in den boom der kennis niet gezeten / Zy had de Waereld zo veel ramps niet aangebragt 1791

David Du Mortier and Son made this print of Adam and Eve in Leiden in 1791. The work illustrates the moment of temptation, where Eve accepts the forbidden fruit from the serpent. But the print also speaks to the religious culture of the Dutch Republic and the ways it was changing at the end of the 18th century. The figures are framed by a tree with a skull, a traditional warning of mortality. Yet, the serpent offers the fruit, hinting at the disruption of natural order. It's an era of intellectual ferment and the illustration hints at new interpretations of the old stories. As art historians, we can look to printed sermons, popular literature, and political pamphlets of the time. These sources would help to understand how this image of the fall might have been interpreted by its contemporary viewers. This allows us to see how art serves as a mirror to its own society.