Adam and Eve

The biblical couple is depicted with the highly stylized, muscular anatomy typical of Northern Mannerism. Eve reaches upward toward the serpent coiled in the tree to take the fruit, while Adam gazes at her, gesturing toward her waist. A variety of animals inhabit the background, including a lion, a stag, and an elephant, while a dog and a hedgehog appear in the foreground.

This work reflects the Neoplatonic and Hermetic interest in the 'Primordial Man' and the cosmic duality of male and female. The collaboration between Spranger and Goltzius represents the intellectual atmosphere of the court of Rudolf II, where biblical narratives were often viewed through the lens of natural philosophy and the occult.