Expulsion of Adam and Eve1880s · Study 1980.258

Context from the museum

John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (1667) was the principal literary source for John Faed's depiction of the expulsion of Adam and Eve. The archangel Michael directs the couple away from the lush gardens and heavenly radiance of Eden, while Satan in the form of a snake appears in the right foreground. In most representations of the subject, Michael guards the gates of Paradise with a fiery sword, as prescribed in both Genesis and Paradise Lost . Faed, on the other hand, has him brandishing a compass, an instrument traditionally employed by God the Father in his act of creating the world.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

A renewed interest in religious art in mid-19th-century Britain led John Faed to visit Palestine in 1857.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Expulsion of Adam and Eve is 70.7 cm wide and 91.3 cm high, equivalent to approximately 27.8 × 35.9 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.77:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.65 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 23.6% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 114.7 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Expulsion of Adam and Eve in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on fabric, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 70.7 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?