The Creation of Eve, from The Power of Death (Allegory of Original Sin and Death)
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 15/16 × 1 7/8 in. (7.5 × 4.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Henry C. Bernstein, 1973
Accession Number
1973.525
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of 16th-century Northern Renaissancemaking, Heinrich Aldegver crafted *The Creation of Eve*, tiny yet intricate engraving from his series *The Power of Death (Allegory of Original Sin and Death)*, dated 1541. Measuring just under 3 by 2 inches, this exemplifies the "Little Masters" style—Aldegrever's nickname reflecting his mastery of miniature formats. Rendered in fine lines on a metal plate, the engraving captures the biblical moment from Genesis where God forms Eve from Adam's rib, surrounded by symbolic animals like bears and rabbits in a paradisiacal setting, foresha...
About the Artist
Heinrich Aldegrever|Hans Holbein the Younger · 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...