The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden - Doen Pietersz.

A sixteenth-century hand-coloured woodcut depicting the biblical expulsion of Adam and Eve, created by the Dutch printer Doen Pietersz.

This hand-coloured woodcut by the Dutch printer and publisher Doen Pietersz. depicts the biblical narrative of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The composition follows traditional iconographic conventions of the Northern Renaissance, showing the figures fleeing the garden while an angel, armed with a sword, directs them away from their former home. The style is characteristic of early sixteenth-century book illustration, where bold, expressive lines define the anatomy of the figures and the surrounding foliage.

Pietersz. was active in Amsterdam during the first half of the sixteenth century, operating a press that produced various religious and secular texts. Woodcuts from this period often served as visual aids for readers, providing a narrative summary of the text they accompanied. The application of colour, likely added by hand after the initial printing, provides a sense of depth to the scene, distinguishing the figures from the background elements such as the tree and the grassy terrain. The presence of a small tablet or cartouche in the lower right corner, containing the artist's initials, is a common feature in prints of this era, allowing for the identification of the workshop or creator.

The work displays a direct, unadorned approach to storytelling. The figures are rendered with a focus on movement and gesture, capturing the urgency of their departure. The angel, positioned on the left, is depicted with flowing drapery and a raised sword, creating a diagonal line that guides the viewer's eye toward the fleeing couple. This print offers a glimpse into the visual culture of the Dutch Reformation era, where such imagery was widely circulated in printed books. The preservation of the original paper texture and the visible ink impression provide a tactile quality that connects the viewer to the early history of European printmaking.