God removes a rib from the side of the first man, Adam, as he sleeps in order to create the first woman, Eve, in marble bas-relief on the west front of Orvieto Cathedral, Umbria, Italy. This sculpted scene is attributed to Lorenzo Maitani (c. 1275 - 1330), who designed the cathedral’s Late Gothic facade. Maitani is believed to have had direct input as a sculptor on two panels covering two of the facade’s four lower pilasters: one Maitani panel depicts scenes from the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament, including the scene in this image.
Orvieto, Umbria, Italy: God removes a rib from the side of the first man, Adam, as he sleeps to create the first woman, Eve, in this close detail view of one of the Old Testament bas-reliefs on the west façade of the city’s cathedral, the Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta in Piazza del Duomo. The medieval sculpture enriching the west front of the cathedral was executed by a team led by the architect and sculptor, Lorenzo Maitani (c. 1275-1330), who was asked to supervise the cathedral’s construction in 1308. Maitani is believed to have had direct input as a sculptor on panels on two of the cathedral facade’s four lower pilasters: scenes from the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament (first or left pilaster) and The Last Judgement (fourth or right pilaster), each sculpted in bas-relief and each unified by an ascending vine. Maitani established his reputation in Siena before working in Orvieto and his work is now recognised as among the very finest examples of Italian Gothic art.
Size: 4060px × 2701px
Location: Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta, Piazza del Duomo, Orvieto, Umbria, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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