The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man

Last updated
The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man
Jan Brueghel de Oude en Peter Paul Rubens - Het aards paradijs met de zondeval van Adam en Eva.jpg
Artist Peter Paul Rubens, Jan Brueghel the Elder
Yearc.1615
Medium Oil on panel
Dimensions74.3 cm× 114.7 cm(29.3 in× 45.2 in)
Location Mauritshuis, The Hague

The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man or The Earthly Paradise with the Fall of Adam and Eve (ca. 1615) is a painting by Peter Paul Rubens (figures) and Jan Brueghel the Elder (flora and fauna). It is housed in the Mauritshuis art museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The painting depicts the moment just before the consumption of forbidden fruit and the fall of man.

Contents

Adam and Eve are depicted beneath the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, where various fruits grow. On the opposite side the tree of life is depicted, also laden with fruits.

The scene is a reference to Genesis 2:8–14 and hosts a variety of animals, presumably 100,[ why? ] from diverse ecosystems. There is a Capuchin Monkey from South America, hidden to the left, who bites into an apple to symbolize the sin about the be committed by Adam and Eve. Since Adam has yet to commit the original sin, these creatures all live in harmony – a cow peacefully watches while two large cats play. Birds of Paradise are also painted with a scientific accuracy. Up until the time of this painting, these birds were believed to lack feet, and in this painting, they are depicted clearly. This was a modernistic move on Bruegel's behalf. [1]

The monkey next to Adam is the hotspur who cannot resist temptation, while the choleric cat near Eve's heels represents cruel cunning. [1] In Christian symbolism, several grapes in the foliage behind Adam and Eve represent Christ's death on the cross, as wine represents his blood. [1] A plethora of exotic birds such as peacocks and macaws spectate Adam's detrimental demise.

Artists

Several attempts were made at this painting to showcase the best work of each artist. Rubens started the painting, sketching Adam and Eve in thin paint, followed by the tree and serpent. The details were then meticulously painted by Brueghel. The pair were known not only as collaborators, but also as the best of friends, so much so that Rubens was godfather to Brueghel's children. The two artists were leading painters in the first three decades of the 17th century. Rubens was known for his depiction of supple human bodies, while Bruegel was known for his animals, flora, and fauna. This painting serves as a primary example of the nickname "Velvet Brueghel" given to Jan Brueghel the Elder for his delicate brushwork.

Provenance

From 1766, the painting was in the collection of Pieter de la Court van der Voort of Leiden. Then it was in the possession of Willem V van Oranje-Nassau and in 1816 it was placed in the collection of the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieter Brueghel the Younger</span> Flemish painter (1564–1638)

Pieter Brueghelthe Younger was a Flemish painter known for numerous copies after his father Pieter Bruegel the Elder's work, as well as original compositions and Bruegelian pastiches. The large output of his studio, which produced for the local and export market, contributed to the international spread of his father's imagery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieter Bruegel the Elder</span> Flemish Renaissance painter

Pieter Bruegelthe Elder was among the most significant artists of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaker, known for his landscapes and peasant scenes ; he was a pioneer in presenting both types of subject as large paintings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Brueghel the Elder</span> Flemish painter (1568–1625)

Jan Brueghelthe Elder was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He was the son of the eminent Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. A close friend and frequent collaborator with Peter Paul Rubens, the two artists were the leading Flemish painters in the first three decades of the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Brueghel the Younger</span> Flemish painter (1601–1678)

Jan Brueghelthe Younger was a Flemish Baroque painter. He was the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder, and grandson of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, both prominent painters who contributed respectively to the development of Renaissance and Baroque painting in the Habsburg Netherlands. Taking over his father's workshop at an early age, he largely painted the same subjects as his father in a style which was similar to that of his father. He gradually was able to break away from his father's style by developing a broader, more painterly, and less structured manner of painting. He regularly collaborated with leading Flemish painters of his time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frans Snyders</span> Flemish painter (1579–1657)

Frans Snyders or Frans Snijders was a Flemish painter of animals, hunting scenes, market scenes, and still lifes. A versatile artist, his works depict all sorts of foods, utensils and tableware and wide assortment of animals. He was one of the earliest specialist animaliers and he is credited with initiating a wide variety of new still-life and animal subjects in Antwerp. His hunting scenes and still lifes engage the viewer with their dramatic and dynamic effects. He was a regular collaborator with leading Antwerp painters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens and Abraham Janssens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Teniers the Younger</span> Flemish Baroque painter (1610–1690)

David Teniers the Younger or David Teniers II was a Flemish Baroque painter, printmaker, draughtsman, miniaturist painter, staffage painter, copyist and art curator. He was an extremely versatile artist known for his prolific output. He was an innovator in a wide range of genres such as history painting, genre painting, landscape painting, portrait and still life. He is now best remembered as the leading Flemish genre painter of his day. Teniers is particularly known for developing the peasant genre, the tavern scene, pictures of collections and scenes with alchemists and physicians.

<i>The Garden of Earthly Delights</i> Triptych painting by Hieronymus Bosch

The Garden of Earthly Delights is the modern title given to a triptych oil painting on oak panel painted by the Early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch, between 1490 and 1510, when Bosch was between 40 and 60 years old. It has been housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain since 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hendrick van Balen the Elder</span> Flemish painter (c. 1574–1632)

Hendrick van Balen or Hendrick van Balen I was a Flemish Baroque painter and stained glass designer. Hendrick van Balen specialised in small cabinet pictures often painted on a copper support. His favourite themes were mythological and allegorical scenes and, to a lesser extent, religious subjects. The artist played an important role in the renewal of Flemish painting in the early 17th century and was one of the teachers of Anthony van Dyck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan van Kessel the Elder</span> Flemish painter (1626–1679)

Jan van Kessel the Elder or Jan van Kessel (I) (baptized 5 April 1626, Antwerp – 17 April 1679, Antwerp) was a Flemish painter active in Antwerp in the mid 17th century. A versatile artist he practised in many genres including studies of insects, floral still lifes, marines, river landscapes, paradise landscapes, allegorical compositions, scenes with animals and genre scenes. A scion of the Brueghel family many of his subjects took inspiration of the work of his grandfather Jan Brueghel the Elder as well as from the earlier generation of Flemish painters such as Daniel Seghers, Joris Hoefnagel and Frans Snyders. Van Kessel’s works were highly prized by his contemporaries and were collected by skilled artisans, wealthy merchants, nobles and foreign luminaries throughout Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastiaen Vrancx</span> Flemish painter (1573–1647)

Sebastiaen Vrancx, Sebastiaan Vrancx or Sebastian Vranckx was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and designer of prints who is mainly known for his battle scenes, a genre that he pioneered in Netherlandish painting. He also created landscapes with mythological and allegorical scenes, scenes with robbers, village scenes and celebrations in cities. He was a gifted figure painter who was regularly invited to paint the staffage in compositions of fellow painters. As an active member of a local chamber of rhetoric, he wrote comedies and a number of poems. He was further captain of the Antwerp civil militia schutterij.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flemish Baroque painting</span> Painting movement

Flemish Baroque painting was a style of painting in the Southern Netherlands during Spanish control in the 16th and 17th centuries. The period roughly begins when the Dutch Republic was split from the Habsburg Spain regions to the south with the Spanish recapturing of Antwerp in 1585 and goes until about 1700, when Spanish Habsburg authority ended with the death of King Charles II. Antwerp, home to the prominent artists Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens, was the artistic nexus, while other notable cities include Brussels and Ghent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frans Francken the Younger</span> Flemish painter (1581–1642)

Frans Francken the Younger was a Flemish painter and the best-known and most prolific member of the large Francken family of artists. He painted large altarpieces for churches as well as smaller historical, mythological and allegorical scenes. His depictions of collectors' cabinets established a popular new genre of art in the era. Francken often collaborated with other artists, adding figures and narrative elements to scenes created by specialists in landscape, architectural and floral still life paintings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willem van Herp</span> Flemish painter

Willem van Herp (I) or Willem van Herp the Elder (variations on first name: 'Guilliam', 'Gilliam' and 'Guillaume') (c. 1614 in Antwerp – 1677) was a Flemish Baroque painter specializing in religious paintings and small cabinet paintings of "low-life" genre scenes. He operated a large workshop and through his good connections with Antwerp art dealers helped spread the Flemish Baroque style internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieter van Avont</span> Flemish painter

Pieter van Avont or Peter van Avont, (1600–1652) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and printmaker known for his religious scenes and cabinet paintings often including nude children and putti. Van Avont was a frequent collaborator with many leading painters in Antwerp.

<i>Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery</i> (Bruegel) Painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery is a small panel painting in grisaille by the Netherlandish Renaissance printmaker and painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It is signed and dated 1565.

<i>The Fall of Man</i> (Rubens) Painting by Peter Paul Rubens

The Fall of Man, Adam and Eve or Adam and Eve in the earthly paradise is a 1628–1629 painting by Rubens, now in the Prado in Madrid. Once attributed to the minor Dutch artist Karel van Mander, it is now recognised as a work by Rubens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Izaak van Oosten</span> Flemish painter (1613–1661)

Izaak van Oosten, Isaak van Oosten or Isaac van Oosten was a Flemish Baroque landscape and cabinet painter active in Antwerp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambert de Hondt the Elder</span> Flemish painter and draughtsman

Lambert de Hondt the Elder or Lambert de Hondt (I) (c. 1620 - before 10 February 1665) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman mainly known for his equestrian and battle scenes as well as his genre and landscape paintings.

<i>Mountainous Landscape with Saint Jerome</i> Painting by Paul Bril

Mountainous Landscape with Saint Jerome is an oil on copper painting by Flemish painter Paul Bril. It was painted in 1592, and is currently housed at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. The painting was acquired by the Mauritshuis in March 2013. The painting is signed and dated, and represents the earliest dated cabinet painting by Bril. The painting belongs to the period when Bril associated with Jan Brueghel the Elder in Rome, in the last decade of the 16th century. Bril's work from the 1590s has some affinity to the work by Brueghel from the same period, and in fact the painting was originally considered a Brueghel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coats of skin</span> The coats provided for Adam and Eve by the God

In the biblical story of Adam and Eve, coats of skin were the aprons provided to Adam and Eve by God when they fell from a state of innocent obedience under Him to a state of guilty disobedience.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Anne T. Woollett; Ariane van Suchtelen, eds. (2006). Rubens & Brueghel: A Working Friendship. Getty Publications. p. 66. ISBN   0-89236-848-9.
  2. "Jan Brueghel the Elder & Peter Paul Rubens the Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man." Mauritshuis, www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/253-the-garden-of-eden-with-the-fall-of-man/. Accessed 20 June 2023.