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The Creation

Hans Holbein the Younger

1526

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

The Creation is a 1526 by Hans Holbein the Younger, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Hans Holbein the Younger
When & what style?: 1526 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This woodcut shows God bending down to lift Eve from Adam’s side. Eve looks fully grown, not a baby. Trees behind her seem to grow from Adam’s back, like she’s part of him. Holbein made this image for a series called *Dance of Death*. It shows the moment humans were created. The moon, sun, and winds watch from above. This print feels different from later Holbein work. Look up Hans Holbein the Younger (German, active England and Switzerland, 1497/98–1543).

The story of this work

Overview

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.

Read the full account in the museum source.