Adam en Eva en de slang 1585

This 1585 engraving by Dutch artist Hendrick Goltzius depicts the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve stand together, their nudity symbolizing their prelapsarian innocence, as a serpent winds around the Tree of Knowledge. In the foreground, animals such as a dog and a porcupine represent the natural world created by God. The intricate detail and dramatic composition reflect Goltzius’s mastery of engraving, a technique that was highly valued in the Renaissance. This artwork, now in the Rijksmuseum, is considered a masterpiece of Northern Renaissance art.