Hans Holbein the Younger, The Creation
Allen Fund, 1929.144 · The Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access (CC0)View original →
Hans Holbein the Younger

The Creation

c. 1526

Current Collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Medium
woodcut
Dimensions
7.1 × 4.8 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-203771

Hans Holbein’s Dance of Death series, a collection of 41 prints, begins with this scene of the sixth day of Creation, when, according to Genesis, humankind was made. Here, a menagerie of animals crowd around in awe as God stoops to pull Eve from Adam’s side. From above, the moon, sun, and winds witness the birth. Eve is figured in this print as a fully formed, adult woman, though, much like the tree limbs behind her, she branches off from her partner, suggesting her origin from Adam’s rib. The pair is unaware of their nakedness, a sign of humanity’s then sinless state.

Provenance

Allen Fund, 1929.144

Registry history

  • c. 1526 — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art — prints

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