This beguiling sculpture once formed part of the main altarpiece at the cathedral of
La Seu Vella in the northeastern Spanish town of Lleida. Carved in alabaster,
it shows the Lord berating Adam and Eve for eating the forbidden fruit in the
Garden of Eden. The pair responds guiltily, covering up their nudity, while a
serpent slithers around the Tree of Knowledge. Remnants of pigment on the
Lord’s robe and in the background indicate a patterned textile and sky full of
stars. This is the only work in America by the Gothic sculptor Robió, whose
figures are characterized by expressive faces and intricately described
textures.