Eve with Cain and Abel

The first family is shown in a rustic setting following the expulsion from Eden. Eve sits in a contemplative pose while her two small children play on the ground, surrounded by domestic and wild animals that represent the natural world. The inclusion of a monkey in the foreground adds a layer of symbolic commentary to this post-lapsarian scene.

This print reflects the 17th-century transition from Mannerist artifice to a naturalistic observation of the world, often referred to as 'the Book of Nature.' The monkey is a traditional symbol of the 'simia naturae' (ape of nature), representing both the artist's role in imitating the divine creation and the base, animalistic nature of fallen humanity.