Losse fragmenten van een prent van Adam en Eva 1585 - 1596

This is a collection of fragments from a print of Adam and Eve by an anonymous artist. While the original date of the work is unknown, its presence in the Rijksmuseum collection speaks volumes about the role of institutions in shaping our understanding of art. Prints like this one, depicting the biblical story of creation and the fall from grace, circulated widely in Europe, particularly during the rise of the printing press. They served not only as religious iconography but also as moral instruction, reinforcing societal norms around gender, obedience, and sin. The fact that we only have fragments remaining prompts us to consider the impact of time, use, and perhaps even deliberate destruction on the survival of cultural artifacts. It’s the work of historians, archivists, and curators to piece together these remnants, using historical records and material analysis, in order to understand the complex social life of images. What can these broken pieces tell us about the cultural values of the time, and how do institutions like the Rijksmuseum shape our understanding of them today?