Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

This is one of a series of ‘paradise landscapes’ painted by the artist between 1594 and c.1615. This vision of Eden no longer adheres strictly to the biblical description in Genesis, and is infused instead with the classical mythology of the Golden Age. First described by the Greek poet Hesiod, the Golden Age was a time of social harmony and peace between the animals. Hostile species such as the leopard and the ox play together in the foreground of this open, verdant paradise, while Adam and Eve have been relegated to the distant background.