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Feast & Fast

The Art of Food in Europe, 1500 – 1800

215: Basin with five scenes from Genesis

This large basin is exquisitely decorated with scenes from Genesis, showing the key role of food in Man’s fall from grace to his first acts of sin:

  1. The Creation of Eve with abundant food freely given in the Garden of Eden;
  2. The Fall of Man when Eve is tempted toeat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, tempting Adam to do likewise;
  3. The Admonition, God’s earlier instruction to Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge;
  4. The Expulsion from Paradise of Adam and Eve that resulted in humankind being condemned to work for their food; and
  5. Cain killing Abel, when Cain, an arable farmer, murders his younger brother Abel, a shepherd, because God had preferred Abel’s sacrifice of lambs to Cain’s offering of grain.

Pierre Reymond (c.1513 – after 1584)

Limoges, France, c.1555 – 65, after prints dated 1529 by Lucas van Leyden (1495 – 1533) Enamelled copper, and gilt; the central boss with the unidentified coat-of-arms was added after 1878

Louis C.G. Clarke Bequest, 1960 (M.111-1961)

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