The Dance of Death: Expulsion from Paradise; Adam Cultivating the Ground

The Dance of Death: Expulsion from Paradise; Adam Cultivating the Ground is a pivotal woodcut created by Hans Holbein the Younger between 1521 and 1531. Executed during the German Renaissance, this highly detailed print is one component of the artist’s celebrated Dance of Death series, illustrating the universal and inescapable power of mortality. Holbein, one of the foremost designers of woodcuts in 16th-century Germany, showcases his compositional mastery in this small but historically powerful format. Unlike the medieval Danse Macabre, Younger begins his narrative sequence not with contemporary social figures, but with the fundamental origin of human suffering: the expulsion from Eden and the subsequent curse of toil.

The work combines two distinct yet connected biblical episodes that establish the inevitability of death. In the background, Adam and Eve are seen being forcibly driven from the Garden of Eden by an armed angel, closely accompanied by the skeletal figure of Death, who wields his spear to enforce the divine judgment. The foreground transitions immediately to the consequence of original sin, depicting Adam beginning the arduous task of cultivating the barren ground outside Paradise, the physical manifestation of God's punishment. Younger’s skill in the woodcut medium allows for intense emotional portrayal and textural complexity, sharply contrasting the lost, lush garden with the rugged, unforgiving earth Adam must now work.

Although often appreciated for its moralizing commentary, this piece served as a powerful artistic and political statement during a period of profound religious upheaval. This specific impression of The Dance of Death: Expulsion from Paradise; Adam Cultivating the Ground is held within the esteemed permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Younger’s groundbreaking designs were widely reproduced and distributed as prints, cementing his legacy as a central figure in early modern European graphic arts and ensuring the widespread study of these profound images, many of which are now available through public domain initiatives.