Adam

About this artwork

Adam, van voren gezien, staand naakt in het paradijs, de verboden vrucht in zijn rechterhand. Achter hem een leeuw. Vormt samen met een prent met Eva een voorstelling van de zondeval.

Art Historical Context

Heinrich Aldegre, a prominent German engraver of the Northern Renaissance (c. 2–1555/61), crafted this intimate engraving *Adam* during the mid-16th century. Measuring just 92 mm high by 64 mm wide, it depicts Adam standing frontally and nude in the Garden of Eden, clutching forbidden fruit in his right—a poignant symbol of temptation and the from grace. Lurking behind him is a lion, evoking both paradise's harmony and latent danger. As one of the "Little Masters," Aldegrever excelled in small-scale engravings, a technique where he meticulously incised fine lines into a copper plate for inking and printing. This allowed for exceptional detail in tiny formats, ideal for collectors, book illustrations, or even jewelry mounts. Paired with its counterpart featuring Eve, the prints together narrate the biblical story of original sin from Genesis, resonating deeply in the Reformation era when moral and religious themes dominated art. Aldegrever's precise lines and symbolic depth highlight the era's fascination with human frailty and divine judgment, making this work a gem of Renaissance printmaking. Visitors can appreciate how such modest engravings democratized high art, bringing profound narratives into everyday hands.

About the Artist

Heinrich Aldegrever · 1502–1561

Heinrich Aldegrever, born in 1502 in Paderborn, Westphalia, to parents Herman and Katherine Trippenmeker—a family of clog-makers known by the dialect name Trippenmecker—emerged as a multifaceted artist in the German Renaissance. His early training remains undocumented, though he likely apprenticed in a Soest goldsmith's workshop after relocating there around 1525, where he joined the painters' gui...