Artwork
Adam and Eve Working
Adam and Eve Working is an ink print by the Baroque artist Jan Pietersz Saenredam. It dates from 1604 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Jan Pietersz.
About this work
Overview
Jan Pietersz. Saenredam’s 1604 engraving, titled *Adam and Eve Working*, presents the biblical pair engaged in manual labor within a tranquil rural setting. The image shows Adam using a shovel to dig while Eve, seated nearby, cradles a child. The composition is framed by gentle hills, scattered trees and distant animals, creating a calm atmosphere that emphasizes cooperation and harmony.
Subject & Meaning
The work interprets the Genesis narrative by visualizing the first humans not only as creators but also as laborers, suggesting a dignified relationship between humanity and the earth. By placing a child in Eve’s arms, Saenredam hints at the continuation of life and the generative aspect of work, aligning biblical themes with a moralizing view of industriousness.
Technique & Style
Executed as an engraving on laid paper, the print showcases the fine line work characteristic of Northern Mannerist printmaking. Saenredam employs intricate hatching to model forms and to render the subtle gradations of light across the landscape. The careful balance of detail and compositional clarity reflects his background as a cartographer, where precision was paramount.
History & Provenance
Saenredam, active in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, produced a range of allegorical images drawn from classical and scriptural sources.
Saenredam, active in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, produced a range of allegorical images drawn from classical and scriptural sources. *Adam and Eve Working* was created during a period when reproductive prints were widely circulated, and the use of laid paper was standard for both original and copied works. The engraving remains documented in several European collections, attesting to its continued scholarly interest.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Pieterszoon (abbr. Pietersz.) Saenredam (c. 1565 – 6 April 1607) was a Dutch Northern Mannerist painter, printmaker in engraving, and cartographer, and father of the painter of church interiors, Pieter Jansz…
