Adam and Eve (Labour: Whan Adam Delved and Eve Span, Who Was Then the Gentleman?)

Art Historical Context

In the late 19th century, Edward Burne-Jones, leading figure in the Pre-Rapite Brotherhood and Aesthetic Movement, created evocative images blending medieval romance with biblical themes. This process print, titled *Adam and Eve (Labour Whan Adam Delved Eve Span, Who Was the Gentleman?)*, to 1895 or later and produced by Carl Hentschel. It draws from a famous 14th-century rhyme by John Ball, a radical priest during England's Peasants' Revolt, challenging social hierarchies by evoking Edenic labor: Adam delving the earth and Eve spinning wool. The scene features Adam and Eve amid trees, accompanied by infants, symbolizing humanity's humble origins and questioning class distinctions. Burne-Jones's design exemplifies his signature style—dreamy, elongated figures with intricate details and a flattened, tapestry-like composition reminiscent of Gothic art. Reproduced as a "process print," a photomechanical technique popular for faithfully capturing paintings' textures at the fin de siècle, this work allowed wider access to his imagery. Printed on a generous sheet (21⅜ × 16¾ in.), it highlights the era's innovations in printmaking, bridging fine art and mass reproduction. Acquired via the Rogers Fund in 1921 for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this print reflects Victorian fascination with social reform, gender roles, and spiritual equality, inviting viewers to ponder timeless questions of work and worth.

About the Artist

Sir Edward Burne-Jones|Carl Hentschel · 1833–1898

Edward Coley Burne-Jones was born on 28 August 1833 in Birmingham, the son of a frame-maker, and lost his mother within a week of his birth. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School and the Birmingham School of Art before proceeding to Exeter College, Oxford, in 1852, intending to study theology. At Oxford he formed a lifelong friendship with William Morris, and the two young men became intoxicat...