Adam and Eve (Dürer)

Adam and Eve is a two-part painting, but no Diptych, by Albrecht Dürer. The dimensions of the oil painting on pine wood ever be 209 x 81 cm. The venue is the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Description and History

Shown are Adam and Eve. Both are, in life-size frontal, against black background on brown, stony ground. Your genitals are obscured by low-hanging branches. The snake winds itself the right of Eve around a branch and handed her the forbidden fruit. Date and monogram are on a panel on the left below the shame of Eve. A second Monogram is carved at the feet of Adam to earth. It is with Adam and Eve not to realistic representations, but idealized portraits by Dürer 's theory of proportion. The paintings created in 1507 belong to the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. About the Client is not known. 1516, the panels were in possession of Wrocław bishop. Later they came into the collection of Emperor Rudolf II during the Thirty Years War, the images found as loot their way to Stockholm. 1654 they are by the Swedish Queen Christina donated to the Spanish King Philip IV. As Dürer's works were rediscovered in the 19th century by Johann David Passavant in Spain. The panels are regarded as the first autonomous Nudity north of the Alps. The life-size representation of Adam and Eve found in Lucas Cranach the Elder. and Hans Baldung their continuation.

Panel with signature and date

Monogram at the feet of Adam

Precursor and copies

Dürer had such a scene already shown in 1504 as a popular engraving drawing there, however, with forest and mountains in the background and animals such as mouse, cat, rabbit, elk, cattle ( ox ), parrot and chamois. A copy of Dürer's workshop is located in the Landesmuseum Mainz ( Inv. No. 438 a and b). These panels hung to 1801 in the Nuremberg council chamber, then they brought art commissioners of the French revolutionary army to Paris. Already in 1803 she received Mainz as a gift.

Copy of the Landesmuseum Mainz