The Paradise
by BLES, Herri met de, Oil on panel, diameter 47 cm
The painter based his depiction of the Paradise on the opening page of the Bible translated by Luther and decorated with woodcuts by Lucas Cranach. Several of the small scenes, such as the creation of Eve and the expulsion from Paradise, were also taken from Cranach’s Bible illustrations. The little roundel stands out for the description of the landscape. Herri met de Bles worked as a true miniaturist by including flowers, plants and animals in the microcosm of this painting.