The Rebuke of Adam and Eve
Medium
Oil on copper
Dimensions
26 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. (67.9 x 50.2 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Richardson III, George T. Delacorte Jr., and Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Heinz II Gifts; Victor Wilbour Memorial, Marquand, and The Alfred N. Punnett Endowment Funds; and The Edward Joseph Gallagher III Memorial Collection, Edward J. Gallagher Jr. Bequest, 1987
Accession Number
1987.279
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the lush Garden of Eden, Charles Joseph Natoire captures the dramatic moment of divine judgment in *The Rebuke of Adam and Eve* (1740). This oil on copper painting depicts Adam and Eve, chastened after their fall from grace, confronted by a majestic angelic figure—likely representing God—amid a pastoral paradise teeming with cows, goats, and other creatures. Natoire, a leading French Rococo artist known for his elegant history paintings and decorative flair, infuses the biblical scene from Genesis with graceful movement and luminous detail, evoking both awe and intimacy. Painted on copper,...