Adam en Eva in het paradijs. NL-HlmNHA 1477 53009938

This engraving depicts the biblical scene of the Fall of Man, with Adam and Eve shown as idealized nude figures in a lush landscape. They are surrounded by a diverse array of animals, including a lion, an elephant, and a hedgehog, representing the harmony of creation before the fall. The serpent, coiled around the central tree, looks down as Eve holds the forbidden fruit while gesturing toward Adam.

Hendrick Goltzius was a central figure of Haarlem Mannerism, a movement deeply engaged with the symbolic and philosophical potential of the human form. In the Western esoteric tradition, the Fall of Man depicted here is frequently interpreted through Hermetic and Kabbalistic lenses as the descent of the primordial 'Anthropos' or 'Adam Kadmon' from a state of spiritual unity into the duality and corruption of the material world.