In the Creation panel, Ghiberti sculpts human forms emerging from matter, mirroring the action of the divine
Creator. Reaching up to pluck the fruit, Eve becomes aware of her separateness from creation, ushering
human consciousness into the world. As they leave the garden, Adam and Eve are searching beings charged
with holding duality—their divine nature and their discerning human consciousness.
The Artist's work reflects these dualities inherent in human nature and in artistic creation. Her "reliquary" is
a tree rooted in history (the Baptistery) and reaching toward the future (the seed). It contains symbolic
elements (tinctures of ambergris and fig leaf) to evoke the duality of consciousness, and emerging from the
balance, the seed of Trifolium incarnatum (crimson clover), a plant which promotes biodiversity and soil
health. Creation requires a balance of effort and grace; our future depends on how well we cooperate with
life itself.
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