Expulsion from Paradise, from "The Dance of Death"

Expulsion from Paradise, from "The Dance of Death" by Hans Holbein the Younger is a powerful example of Northern Renaissance graphic arts, executed as a highly detailed woodcut likely between 1521 and 1538. This specific print is part of Holbein’s celebrated series, The Dance of Death (Danse Macabre), which uses the universal theme of mortality to comment satirically on social classes and human vanity across forty-one scenes. Younger’s masterful handling of the relief woodcut technique allowed for exceptional emotional intensity and minute detail, characteristic of early 16th-century prints.

The scene depicts the biblical moment of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden, but radically reinterpreted through the lens of the Danse Macabre. The narrative is not led by an angel, but by the relentless figure of Death, personified by a grotesque Skeleton, who brutally pushes the despairing figures from paradise. Adam shields his face in sorrow while Eve recoils from the sharp intrusion of fate. The print emphasizes the abrupt entrance of suffering into the world; Death strides forward, occasionally carrying symbols or Musical Instruments, here representing the chaotic, inescapable rhythm of life and doom. The presence of Skeletons underscores the theological concept that death entered the world through original sin.

The entire series proved immensely popular upon its publication in Lyon, rapidly disseminating Holbein’s reputation across Europe due to the reproductive capabilities of the print medium. This woodcut, recognized for its dramatic composition and profound moralizing function, represents a pinnacle of 16th-century prints, demonstrating how Younger elevated the status of graphic arts. This piece is held within the esteemed collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and due to its age and cultural impact, many high-quality reproductions are available in the public domain for scholarly study.