Panel No. 1: Creation of Adam and Eve

Each panel of the Gates of Paradise depicts several episodes of a biblical narrative. This panel depicts the Creation of Adam at the lower left, that of Eve in the centre, the Temptation in the distance at the extreme left, and the Expulsion from the garden at the extreme right. The creation of Eve has a central place because of the doctrine that her birth from the side of Adam foretold the creation of the Church. The female nudes Ghiberti designed in the Creation are noteworthy as the first sensuous female nudes of the Renaissance.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 12 minutes): Joseph Haydn: The Creation, introduction and aria