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The Expulsion
The Expulsion
The Expulsion

The Expulsion

Maker (Dutch, c. 1494 - 1533)
Date1529
MediumEngraving
DimensionsSheet (trimmed to plate): 6 1/2 × 4 3/4 in. (16.5 × 12.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Alan and Lois Fern in honor of the 30th Anniversary of the Smart Museum
Object number2003.131
Object TypePrints
On View
Not on view
Lucas van Leyden’s preoccupation late in his career with representing the human form reflects his increasing fascination with ideal beauty. Exposure to Italianate models, particularly the engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi, helps to explain this tendency. This scene of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden by a sword-bearing angel is the fourth in an engraved series depicting six episodes from the book of Genesis. Even though Eve crouches in shame or fear, she and Adam are both monumental figures, whereas the landscape is secondary.