The Expulsion from Paradise
1606
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1606
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Expulsion from Paradise is a 1606 by Jan Wierix, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see Adam and Eve being pushed out of a lush garden by a winged angel, while animals watch from the trees. This drawing was one of 21 small scenes telling the story of Genesis. The lines are so fine you can count the feathers on the angel’s wings. Every leaf and animal feels alive, like a tiny world about to change forever. If you like this quiet, detailed style, look up sfumato—a technique that softens edges so nothing looks too sharp.
Originally this exquisite sheet belonged to a series of 21 drawings by the Antwerp artist Jan Wierix illustrating the creation and early history of man as recounted in Genesis. In this scene, an angel casts Adam and Eve out of paradise for their transgressions. Precious in its delicate pen strokes and careful detail, the drawing describes Eden as a microcosm populated by an array of animals whose tranquility is in the midst of being interrupted by human actions. Pen and ink drawings on vellum such as this were prized by collectors, who valued them as miniature paintings to be displayed in…
This artist's version of the Garden of Eden includes a turkey, a bird that was unknown in Europe until the 16th century, when it was imported from the Americas.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Johannes Wierix (1549 – c. 1620) was a Flemish engraver, draughtsman and publisher. He was a very accomplished engraver who made prints after his own designs as well as designs by local and foreign artists. He further…
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