A Contemporary Eve

12″h x 4”w x 3”d
Ceramic

In the Hebrew and Christian scriptures Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge.  For whatever reason, they did.  Shame followed and they searched to cover themselves.  Who has not seen classic paintings and sculptures of Adam and Eve with their genital areas hidden by fig leaves?

The Islamic scriptures have a similar story of the transgression.  However after the Fall, as Adam and Eve searched for leaves to cover themselves, the Muslim tradition has it that God enjoined them to cover themselves with a vail of modesty, not greenery. 

I have tried to sculpt this Eve to embody that tradition. Her arms are raised and her head is thrown back as if unafraid to be seen.   While the vail is modest it accents the fact that she is undeniably a woman.