A Family Scene (Adam & Eve)
c. 1500
Medium
bronze//Medium brown patina
Dimensions
overall (slightly concave): 4.2 x 7.1 cm (1 5/8 x 2 13/16 in.) gross weight: 53 gr
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1957.14.423
Art Historical Context
This intimate bronze plaquette, created around 1500 by an anonymous North Italian artist, captures the biblical story of Adam and Eve in a compact, slightly concave format measuring just over four by seven centimeters. Titled *A Family Scene (Adam & Eve)*, the work likely depicts the first couple alongside their children, blending sacred narrative with everyday domestic moments. Its medium-brown patina enhances the warm, tactile quality of the cast bronze, a material prized during the Renaissance for its durability and ability to capture fine detail in small-scale works. In the early sixteent...