Adam and Eve in Paradise

Lucas Cranach the Elder

National Gallery of Art

This black-and-white print shows two nude adults, a man and a woman, at the base of a tree, surrounded by animals. The man is positioned on the left, sitting on the ground beneath the tree. He is holding an apple in one hand, raising it to his mouth. He has a straight nose, curly hair, a curly beard and mustache, high cheekbones, and thin, arched eyebrows. The woman on the right is standing, one arm around the man's shoulders. Her other arm is reaching upward towards a branch above her head, picking an apple from the tree. She has long, wavy hair that falls to her waist, a small nose, a soft chin, and deep-set eyes. Both people are nude. Above her head, a snake coils around a tree branch, looking towards the apple she is picking. More apples are hanging from the tree, as well as two shields or crests on the left. A sign or paper is attached to the side of the tree. The people and the tree are surrounded by animals, including deer with large horns, a boar, a horse, and a lion. Birds fly in the clear sky. The background is filled with leaves and low bushes.