Hendrick Goltzius - The Fall of Man [1608]

Hendrick Goltzius (January or February 1558 - Haarlem, January 1, 1617) was an outstanding Dutch engraver and draughtsman who took up painting only at the age of 38. Together with a group of Mannerist painters he founded an academy in Haarlem. They introduced to Holland the systematic study of human anatomy and drawing from a naked model, which is reflected in these two important works.

The cat at Eve's feet is a symbol of the devil who awaits the sinner's soul in order to ruin it forever. The snake who occupies the place of a halo over Eve's head recalls the snake who first tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, offering her an apple from the Tree of Knowledge, and thus also symbolises the devil. Olives like those in Eve's hand are a symbol of the Eucharist, the future redemption of sins. The dog at Adam's feet and the whole walnut in his hand are symbols of virtue which resists temptation. The tulip which has blossomed between Adam and Eve has an ambiguous reading, for it could be both the brief joys which Adam and Eve will find in the world into which they are being cast, or hope of salvation. We should see a world of purity and plenty in the far of landscape with its bluish haze in the air.

[Oil on panel, 203 x 134 cm]