Adam and Eve in Paradise

Unknown

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Adam and Eve, unashamed of their nakedness, hold each other in a casual embrace as God points to the tree of knowledge and admonishes them not to eat its fruit. The figures derive from an engraving by Jan Sadeler I (after Maerten de Vos), published in Antwerp in 1583. Human anatomy, already exaggerated in the print, is further accentuated in the painting by the addition of color, as Adam’s ruddy flesh contrasts with Eve’s blushed ivory skin. The paradise landscape they inhabit, with its lush vegetation and brightly colored birds, is typical of Cuzco painting in the 18th century.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art