Adam and Eve
1504
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 1/2 × 8 1/4 in. (16.5 × 20.9 cm) Plate: 9 7/8 × 7 11/16 in. (25.1 × 19.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. William H. Osborn, in memory of Johnston L. Redmond, 1967
Accession Number
67.679.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Dürer’s 1504 engraving “Adam and Eve” portrays the biblical story of the first humans in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve stand together near the Tree of Knowledge, with a serpent coiled around a branch, symbolizing temptation and the moment of the Fall. Created during the Northern Renaissance, this print reflects Dürer’s deep interest in human anatomy and classical ideals of proportion, which he studied through Italian influences while remaining rooted in German artistic traditions. As an engraving, the work demonstrates the medium’s power to convey fine lines, textures, and subtle ...
About the Artist
Albrecht Dürer · 1471–1528
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...