Art, Symbol & Imagination
Adam Watches over Eve
A seated man leans towards a reclining woman beneath a spreading tree. Fine branches, long grass and an open glade make a quiet enclosure around the two bodies. The caption quotes Book V's description of cordial, enamoured attention. Doré gives that feeling a restrained arrangement of gaze, proximity and posture, avoiding the crowds and immense cliffs of his cosmic scenes. The tree's sheltering canopy and the woman's resting form establish a moment of stillness. The engraving turns affection into attentive presence within the ordinary textures of the garden.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Adam Watches over Eve" [editorial title]. In Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré, John Milton; illustrated by Gustave Doré; edited by Henry C. Walsh. Undated John W. Lovell Company edition; exact publication year unverified, undated edition, John W. Lovell Company. Source scan leaf 142. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/milton-dore-141
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Original source design and caption inspected; composition retained with scan margins trimmed. No reconstructed or recoloured details.
Sources
From the book
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave DoréJohn Milton; illustrated by Gustave Doré; edited by Henry C. WalshUndated editionMore from this book
All 40 illustrations
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Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). Adam Watches over Eve. Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré. Scan leaf 142. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/milton-dore-141