Temptation and Fall of Adam and Eve vs. the Crucifixion of Christ

     I have chosen to take a closer look at the panels which depict the Temptation and fall of Adam and Eve as well as the Crucifixion of Christ.  These panels are on Bernward’s door within the Hildesheim Cathedral. Although these two pieces tell a different story they are similar because they coincide with the topic of sin. The bronze panels have eight scenes on the left which are from the Old Testament, and eight scenes on the right which are from the New Testament. The Old Testament depictions are in chronological order from top to bottom. The New Testament depictions are to be read from the bottom to the top. 

            The Temptation and fall of Adam and Eve depicts high relief sculpture of nude human figures.  The tree and serpent are depicted in low relief sculpture.  According to the Bible, God had told them that they could eat anything within the Garden of Eden. However he specifically instructed them not to eat any of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Satan was a fallen angel; he disguised himself as a serpent within the Garden of Eden.  He disguised himself in order to convince Eve that it was ok to take and eat a piece of the forbidden fruit, which she shared with Adam. Because Eve gave into temptation by listening to the serpent, they went against Gods word therefore they were both banished from the garden.  They were also made aware of their nakedness and became ashamed.  They became mortal humans and would have to work by the sweat of their brow for food as well as have childbearing illness (menstruation and labor pains).  This situation within the garden is where the first incident of sin occurred.

            The next panel which I would like to talk about depicts the crucifixion of Christ. The bodies within this piece are in high relief. Christ who looks weak and frail, is nailed to the cross, with his arms stretched out.  Besides Jesus Christ, there are two guards, Christ’s mother Mary and John the apostle. The theme of this piece also relates to sin, as it depicts Christ sacrificing his life for the salvation of man. All of the people are shown facing toward the middle where the cross stands, which leads the viewer to believe that this part of the composition is the most important.  The cross as well as the background is carved in a low relief translating its level of importance to be less than that of the people. The same is true for the previous composition of Adam and Eve.  Their arms are outstretched towards the tree which is in the middle of the piece, thus meaning it is the main focal point.

            In conclusion after studying both pieces, I feel that both of these pieces are very balanced, as well as they both draw the eye of the viewer to the center of the composition. Because sin is the main topic within both pieces I feel that they have a common bond, therefore relate to one another.  The first piece shows how sin started, and the second piece shows us how Christ tried to end sin by sacrificing his life.