THE FIRST SIN

In the biblical stories, Eve ate the forbidden fruit after being tempted by Satan in the form of a snake. This resulted in her and Adam being expelled from paradise. This painting depicts this scenario with a snake drawn across the woman’s body and legs as she reaches for the apple on her chest.

The event has long been depicted in art, for example, in the painting “The Fall” by Peter Paul Reubens. There are paintings in the catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter in Rome. It inspired John Milton to write an epic poem and Mark Twain to write his humorous diaries.