John Warrington Wood (1839-86) was born and studied in England, but spent much of his working life in Rome. Wood began exhibiting his sculpture at the Royal Academy in 1868 with four works which he sent from Rome. He was particualrly interested in biblical figures, and often used such characters as vehicles for studies of the ideal female form. The most evident of these was his figure of Eve, which Wood exhibited at the 1869 Royal Academy.
The Eve became an important work in his career, and one which he consequently reproduced four times. The original piece was bought in 1871 by Sir Andrew Barclay Walker, who later founded the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, commissioning much of the decoration for the Gallery from Wood. Though there are several celebrated religious works by Wood, such as his 1875 St Michael; 1875 Sisters of Bethany and 1884 Ruth and Naomi, the figure of Eve stands as a distinct marble in Wood's oeuvre. The Eve is Wood's only nude religious figure, and moreover, is his most classical. The marble is, in fact, a graceful study of the nude in the ancient tradition; Eve is portrayed as the essence of womanhood rather than as the Biblical character. Though classical in form and idea, Eve is captured seated in a realistic and relaxed pose, her legs curled beside her, her delicate head langourously gazing at the serpent, grasses and rocks surrounding her. As an elegant balance of realism and classicism Eve stands as one of Wood's works most appealing to the modern eye.