Story of Adam and Eve: Original Sin - by Raphael

This painting of Adam und Eve's fall adorns the second of the thirteen vaults in the loggia. The Tree of Knowledge, precisely aligned with the central axis, divides the composition into two halves. The left side is taken up by Eve, who is shown in profile standing upright by the tree and handing Adam the forbidden fruit - freshly picked from the tree - with a graceful gesture. Adam sits on the ground to the right of the tree between stumps of branches and accepts the fruit from her with his left hand. He has adopted a complicated sitting position with one leg folded back and his upper body twisted around to reveal his powerful musculature. He is observed by the serpent, who has coiled her mighty, armored body around the trunk of the tree. In her facial features and hairstyle she bears a conspicuous resemblance to Eve, the progenitrix of the human race, thereby embodying Eve's sinfulness and seductive power. The work is clearly inspired by frescoes in the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo, although Raphael has switched Adam and Eve's positions and given more weight to the landscape of Paradise.