Relief (bas-relief) on silver, gilded with 24-karat gold
Dimensions of the silver plate: 31 x 24 cm; overall dimensions with frame: 70 x 63 cm;
Material: 925/1000 sterling silver plated with 24k gold.
Signature: Salvador Dalí’s signature stamped on the silver
*Hallmarks: “925” silver hallmark inside an oval, the Italian Lacerata province hallmark “117 MC” (with the Repubblica star), the registered “R” mark, and the assayer’s mark.
The work is an original, deeply surrealistic reinterpretation of a biblical scene from the Book of Genesis. Dalí departs from traditional, static depictions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, infusing the scene with unease and fantasy.
Eve on the Tree of Knowledge: The central figure is a naked woman (Eve), who is not standing next to the tree but sitting on one of its branches. Her body is organically woven into the structure of the dead trunk, suggesting an inseparable connection between humanity and nature, but also with desire and the Fall. The figure is depicted in a dynamic, almost acrobatic pose.
Adam and the Gesture of Temptation: At the bottom left is a naked man (Adam), viewed from behind and from the side. His raised arm and hand reaching upward toward Eve or the fruit she holds (which is implied but not explicitly shown) form the scene’s central dramatic axis— the moment of decision and the act of temptation. Adam’s gesture is full of tension and longing.
The Serpent and the Heart: Although the traditional serpent is often hidden among the branches, in this composition (as in other versions of this theme by Dalí, such as his full-scale sculptures), the intertwining of the branches and Eve’s body may form suggestive outlines resembling the shape of a heart. This is a paranoid-critical device characteristic of Dalí, combining the symbol of evil (the serpent) with the symbol of human love and desire.
Surreal Creature in the Background: The lower right portion of the panel is occupied by a fantastical, stilt-like creature with a long neck and slender legs, striding across a desert landscape. This is an iconic motif in Dalí’s work (known, among other works, from “The Temptation of St. Anthony”), representing the unconscious, fantasy, or—in the context of Eden—other, unknown forms of life that exist alongside human drama.
ThePerspective of Infinity: The background of the sculpture is dominated by converging lines of perspective, creating the illusion of an infinite, empty landscape (likely Port Lligat), which serves as the backdrop for most of Dalí’s surrealist visions, symbolizing the space of the mind.
* Limited edition: Number of pieces: 314 out of 999 worldwide.
* On the reverse is an original certificate of authenticity stamped by the goldsmith on October 30, 1984, by “di paolo sterling s.a.s.”
* Dimensions of the inner plate itself: 31 x 24 cm (310 x 240 mm)
