Adam and Eve (Dürer)

Adam and Eve is the title of two famous works in different media by Albrecht Dürer, a German artist of the Northern Renaissance: an engraving made in 1504, and a pair of oil-on-panel paintings completed in 1507.

The engraving of 1504 depicts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, with several symbolic animals around them. This famous engraving transformed how Adam and Eve were popularly depicted in art.

The 1507 painting in the Museo del Prado offered Dürer another opportunity to depict the ideal human figure in a different medium. Painted in Nuremberg soon after his return from Venice, the panels were influenced by Italian art. Dürer's observations on his second trip to Italy provided him with new approaches to portraying the human form. Here, he depicts the figures at human scale—the first full-scale nude subjects in German painting.

Engraving of Adam and Eve (1504)

Adam and Eve, 1504, engraving with burin on copper, 25.1 x 19.8 cm

Background and historical context

Dürer was perpetually chasing perfection in his work. In this pursuit, he traveled to Italy to study the Italian Renaissance masters and incorporate their techniques into his art. His first trip to Venice took place in 1494 where he studied great artists such as Giovanni Bellini (who he met), Andrea Mantegna, Antonio del Pollaiuolo, Leonardo da Vinci, and others. One work of art that particularly captured his attention was The Birth of Venus (c. 1484–1486) by Sandro Botticelli. In addition, he was greatly influenced by two ancient classical marble sculptures (both copied after Greek Hellenistic sculptures, now lost) that illustrate the concept of ideal male and female beauty: the Apollo Belvedere (just rediscovered in the 1490s) and the Medici Venus, though Dürer likely discovered these works through second-hand sources, the Apollo for example through an engraving by Nicoletto da Modena of c.1500 or the engraving of Apollo and Diana made by Jacopo de' Barbari around 1503 probably in Nuremberg. This image featured the intricately modeled figure of Apollo in classical contrapposto, inspiring Dürer's interpretation of Adam. Similarly, in Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, the figure of Venus acted as a model for Dürer's later renditions of Eve. Raptured by newfound inspiration, Dürer returned to Nuremberg.

In 1500 Jacopo de' Barbari came to Nuremberg to initially serve Maximilian I as a court painter. He introduced Dürer to the theory of proportions and linear perspective. But Dürer wasn't satisfied and began studies of his own, measuring countless living models (of men and animals as well), constructing them with ruler and compass. These studies Dürer finally summarized in his Four Books on Human Proportion, but in 1504 yielded fruit firstly in the exemplary creation of the famous engraving Adam and Eve (burin on copperplate, 25.1 x 19.8 cm).

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  Apollo Belvedere, Vatican Museum, Rome (Photograph by Alinari, c. 1900)
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  Venus de' Medici, Uffizi, Florence (Photograph, 1865–c. 1890)
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  Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, c. 1485, Uffizi
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  Jacopo de' Barbari, Naked Lovers, reverse side of the Portrait of a German, 1500, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. The woman with pose and gesture comparable to Eve's.

Background and context within his œuvre

Dürer had drawn a first Female Nude after a living model already in 1493 –maybe the first in Northern art– that is before he had traveled to Italy and learned about the theory of proportions. She understandably prudent covers her bosom. But her posture isn't ideal in any way, as are the women in the Women's Bath (1496) or The Four Witches (1497). These female nudes were followed by studies of figures with classical body proportions, but the only figure of which the pose relates closely to the Eve is the Venus in the engraving of the The Dream of the Doctor (c. 1498).

As for the Adam, there are several works that followed the same antetype and might be understood as preparatory for his figure. The Apollo with the Solar Disc as one of the first male figures drawn by Dürer following the Vitruvian canon of body proportions is the most prominent one, where he seemed to have copied de' Barbari freely in showing Diana from behind at Apollo's feet, who is depicted as Sol's, since Diana, as moon goddess, tries to protect herself from his light conquering the day. Dürer obviously was not satisfied, since he didn't finish the drawing. The Apollo he drew again, this time with a bow. Another closely linked study drawing is the Male Nude with Glass and Snake (also called Asclepius) with traces of extensive use of ruler and compass.

His final interpretation of de' Barbari's rather abstract Apollo and Diana is way superior to the original, provoking an emotional impact on the beholder by having the imposing, concentrated and slightly twisted figure of Apollo occupying more than half the space with parts of his hair, his bow and arrow being cut off. Diana is also more prominent, facing the beholder while feeding a deer lying to her feet. But beside his muscularity and the finely tuned textures there is no similarity to the posture of the Adam. The Apollo has even been finished later and is an advancement compared to the Adam, harmonizing classical stature with Northern emotion.

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  Temptation of the Idler (The Dream of the Doctor), c. 1498, engraving, 18.8 × 11.9 cm (Petit Palais, Paris)
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  Jacopo de' Barbari, Apollo and Diana, c. 1503, engraving, 16 x 9.8 cm (NGA, Washington DC)
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  Apollo (with the Solar Disc), c. 1504, pen, 28.5 × 20.2 cm, British Museum, London
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  Male Nude with a Glass and Snake, , "c. 1500", pen, cyan background with brush, 32.6 x 20.7 cm, Kupferstichkabinett Berlin
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  Dürer's Apollo and Diana, 1504–1505, engraving, 11,4 × 7,2 cm (NGA)

Imagery, style and technique

The engraving captures an idealistic Adam and Eve before the Fall of Man. Adam and Eve are depicted as the ideal body shape of both man and woman respectively. This engraving was one of the first depictions of Adam and Eve that focused on human physical beauty rather than the depiction of sin, causing many artists to later draw inspiration from this perspective shift. As the first man and woman sculpted by God, Adam and Eve serve as the perfect characters to embody the ideal human figure.

Both figures are nude and posed in antique contrapposto. They are shown full frontal, with their heads in profile facing each other, accentuated by a slight tilt of their bodies. Since he wanted to show these ideal specimen of men there is no overlapping of the figures and can each be seen in full view, except for their genitals, that had to be covered. Dürer, wielding an astonishing technical sophistication, uses the engraved line work to play with light and dark shadows, illuminating the pale skin and modeling the musculature of each body. The bright figures stand out in front of the dark background of the forest that (nearly) completely fills the plate, just like oil paint covers a panel all over.

For both figures Dürer made separate preparatory drawings and two trial proofs survived that he printed while he was still working on the engraving. They show his specific proceedings in both working stages. The unique trial prints reveal beside the scrupulously incremental procedure for example that the cat was only added later. In the case of the drawings he first constructed a body with ruler and compass on one side of a sheet. Then he traced the outlines of the figure onto the reverse, where he modeled the actual three-dimensional body with hatchings, and washed a dark background with a brush. Contrary to the Adam, Dürer hadn't found the right pose for the Eve yet, but it seemed to be clear, that he didn't want to follow the model of the Venus pudica, which covers her breast.

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  Construction drawing of Adam, 1504, pen, 26,2 x 16,6 cm, Albertina, Vienna (3080r)
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  Final drawing of Adam, 1504, pen and brush for the background, 26,2 x 16,6 cm, Albertina (3080v)
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  Construction drawing of Eve, c. 1506, pen, 26,2 x 16,5 cm, Albertina (3081r)
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  Final drawing of Eve, c. 1506, pen and brush, 26,2 x 16,5 cm, Albertina (3081v)
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  Second trial proof of the Adam and Eve, Albertina (DG1930.1450)

Following ancient tradition, Adam is depicted more lean, muscular, and about the height of the forehead larger than Eve, while her body is more supple and rounded. Dürer gained the "silken softness" of her skin through finer graded lines that in part "dissolve in stipples, and [by] add[ing] a third series of curves" which densifies the hatching patterns. Erwin Panofsky estimated "twice or three times as many lines per square inch as in ealier [engravings]." This technique he had trained since around 1500 expanded the spectrum of light values on both ends and allowed even more detailed and differentiated textures.

Symbolism

Adam and Eve are shown in the Garden of Eden. Since this image is a depiction of the story from before the Fall, everything remains in perfect harmony. Placed directly between the pair of figures stands a fig tree, the Tree of Knowledge, but is represented here, as was usual, as a hybrid since the fruit of the tree is apple. Eve is offered a fruit by the snake and holds in her left hand already one tied to a broken branch with fig leaves that cover her genitals. It is a direct reference to the shame that Adam and Eve would experience after the Fall, as described in Genesis 3:7: "And the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons." The Forbidden Fruit in her left (sinister in Latin) hand, that she is about to share with Adam, symbolizes evil. Adam's genitals are covered by a shoot of an mountain ash that frames the left side of the picture. The tree symbolizes the Tree of Life.

Parrott, drawing by Dürer, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan

On the tree above the plaque with Dürer's autograph sits a parrot. Since around 1500 Dürer had an increased interest in animals and plants, of which he made many drawings and watercolors. The famous Great Piece of Turf for example, the Young Hare, and the Wing of a Blue Roller are from that time, but also a drawing of a parrot, that very much resembles the one in the engraving. Parrots can symbolize different ideas, including: wisdom, the Word of God, Christ, eternal life, and paradise. But it could also refer to the New World. At this time, the colonization of the New World was in full swing and certain objects from the Americas came to symbolize paradise, as Europeans had come to believe paradise would be found in the Americas. Thus, certain objects that originated from the New World became common symbols of paradise in art, a possible meaning for the parrot represented here. Moreover, it is known through his diary writings that Dürer saw and even collected exotic items from the East (the Orient), as well as the Americas while on trips to both Italy and Flanders. Some of these marvelous objects included a large fishbone, porcelain dishes from China, while other items like cloths (some made out of silk), feathers, an ivory salt-cellar came from "Calicut," which in the Renaissance was a catch-all term that could reference India, Africa or the Americas, indicating a geographical misunderstanding of the wider world.

Around Adam and Eve lie four animals to represent the four humors or temperaments. The cat symbolizes the choleric humor, the rabbit the sanguine (from Latin sanguineus, "of blood": vivacious) temperament, the ox represents the phlegmatic humor, and the elk stands for the melancholic temperament . The common belief of the time was that an imbalance of bodily fluids caused these undesirable humors. However, in Eden, everything is in perfect harmony, therefore, the bodily fluids must be as well. Visually, this is represented by the peaceful cohabitant nature of the animals: the cat is not pouncing on the mouse, the ox is sitting calmly. This representation of balanced harmony, however, would be forever destroyed once the Fall occurred. Finally, the relationship of the mouse and feline at the feet of the figures parallels that of Adam and Eve.

Plaque and parrot, Adam and Eve, 1504

The little plaque (cartellino in Italian) is his first inscription in an engraving written in Latin, it reads "Albert Dürer noricvs faciebat 1504," which translates to "Albrecht Dürer of Nuremberg was making [this in] 1504." Despite Dürer's fascination with Italian art, this inscription demonstrates his pride regarding his Northern heritage, clearly identifying his hometown as the German city of Nuremberg (Noricus in Latin). Moreover, Dürer is subtly flaunting the immortality of his work since the plaque is attached to the Tree of Life.

Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve, 1510, drawing, 29,4 x 21,9 cm, Albertina (3124)

A last treatment of the theme by Dürer followed in 1510 with a light but very intimate ink drawing, where Adam and Eve are unusually shown from behind, turned away from the beholder, embracing each other. They obviously already decided to be lovers and are about to share a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The figure of Eve with her crossed legs relates to the images of the Fall and the Expulsion from Paradise featured in the Small Passion. But in the Fall Eve is turned around again, while in the Expulsion the figures are in motion. The snake which the lovers ignore has a female torso instead of its head, an Italian motif.

Copies in collections

During his lifetime, the copper engraving of Adam and Eve was printed many times, resulting in multiple prints of the image that survive today in different collections. In addition, unauthorized copies of his print were made during Dürer's lifetime in Florence, Italy, now at the Uffizi, and for example one made in Mainz, Germany, during the time of Napoleon.

Original prints (not seldom in several copies) are held at the Graphic Art Collection of the City of Nuremberg, the Kupferstichkabinetts in Berlin and Dresden, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, the Albertina in Vienna, the British Museum in London, the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, National Museum in Warsaw, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and other institutions. In the US prints are found at the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Harvard Art Museums, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, among others.

Oil paintings of Adam and Eve (1507)

Adam and Eve, 1507, oil on wood panel, 208 x 91 cm per panel. Museo del Prado.

Background and historical context

After the creation of the engraving of 1504, Dürer revisited the subject of Adam and Eve after a second visit to Italy, when he spent most of his time in Venice to further study Italian Renaissance paintings. During his two years in Venice, from 1505 until 1507, Dürer analyzed various techniques and famous works of art, developing his use of classical Italian contrapposto. Returning to Nuremberg with his newly acquired skill and knowledge, Dürer painted in 1507 what is considered to be the first life-sized nude painting in German art, Adam and Eve (oil on wood, 209 x 81 cm per panel).

Imagery, style, and symbolism

Dürer believed the way to paint the ideal human form was through a precise mathematical system of proportions. In his oil painting of Adam and Eve, Dürer altered the proportions of the head to the body of Eve's figure from the 1:7.4 ratio of the engraving to 1:8.2. This alteration visually elongated Eve's body, providing her with a slender, weightless quality. This weightlessness was typical of Gothic figure depictions, illuminating a stylistic shift from the classical contrapposto of the engraving figures. This can further be seen in the positioning of the limbs: Eve's legs are crossed, one directly behind the other rather than the more grounded-appearing side by side stance as seen in the engraving. This new rendition of Eve acted as a template for many later female nude paintings. Adam's figure, however, remains in contrapposto, still reminiscent of the classical depictions of Apollo. Both figures are presented more androgynously than in the 1504 engraving, likely the result of a return to a more Gothic style.

Plaque, Adam and Eve, 1507

Lighting is also strategically used to emphasize the figures. Adam is awash with warm light, contrasting Eve who is bathed in cool toned, almost slivery, light. The color palette as a whole is strategic, using subtle light and dark shadows to minimize contrast and allow the painting a subtly. This choice is in opposition to the 1504 engraving where, due to the nature of the material, everything is sharp with high contrast. In the oil painting, Adam holds a tree branch, meant to symbolize the mountain ash that symbolizes the Tree of Life just as the branch in the engraving does. Eve rests her hand above a branch where a cartellino hangs with Latin writing that reads,"Albertus durer alemanus faciebat post virginis partum 1507," ("Albrecht Dürer, upper German, made this 1507 years after the Virgin's offspring.")

The oil painting consists of two separate rectangular panels: one of Adam and one of Eve. The division of panels indicates that the two figures are independent of each other, unlike the engraving, in which they are dependent. While the engraving of 1504 communicates the story of the Fall of Man, the oil painting is primarily focused on the individual figures of Adam and Eve, emphasized by the lack of intricate background and symbolism. The actual reason behind Dürer's choice to paint Adam and Eve separately remains unknown, however, it was one of the first works of art to create a division of the subjects, an artistic choice that many later artists copied.

Restoration

Adam and Eve, 1507, pre-restoration

As mentioned before, the oil painting of 1507 was done on wooden panels. Wood and paint both have complex aging processes, leading to difficulty in both conservation and restoration. Over time, multiple attempts at restoration led to the addition of layers of new paint and oxidized varnish, which in turn distorted the original image. Moreover, the back of the wooden panels had been reinforced in an attempt to prevent warping of wood. Unfortunately, these reinforcements ultimately had the opposite effect, distorting the panels further. The Met and the Museo del Prado collaborated to restore the painting to its original condition in 2020. Removing the back support panels, smoothing the wood, removing oxidized varnish, and finally taking off additional attempts at restorative painting touch-ups, the painting was returned to what is believed to be its original state. Due to the oxidized varnish, the image previously had an overall green hue. Now, that green hue is gone and the colors are as Dürer painted them.

Provenance

There is no extant archival documents that shed light on the original patron of the paintings of Adam and Eve. Scholars have suggested that they may have been commissioned to adorn the Town Hall in the city of Nuremberg, Dürer's hometown, as they were installed there at the end of the sixteenth century. In turn, the Nuremberg City Council gave them as a gift to Emperor Rudolph II who displayed them in his new gallery room at Prague Castle. During the Thirty Years' War, armies stormed the city, an event that came to be known as the Battle of Prague (1648). The Swedes plundered the castle and moved the panels to Stockholm and then entered the collection of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. His daughter, Christina of Sweden, gave the work to Philip IV of Spain in 1654, after her abdication. The works moved next to The Royal Palace of Madrid, but were considered "nudes" so were relocated and displayed in a separate room known as the "Vaults of Titian." This vault survived the fire in 1734 that destroyed much of the palace and its art. The paintings were then transported to the Buen Retiro palace. In 1762, if not for the persuasion of Anton Raphael Mengs, King Charles III of Spain's court painter at the time, the paintings would have been destroyed in because they were perceived as being "indecent" because of the nudity. Mengs convinced the king that they panels were important pieces to study. About ten years later, the paintings were moved to the Academia de San Fernando for storage. The remained stored away for several decades and were able to be freely viewed n the Sala de Juntas between 1809 and 1818, which was during the rule of Jose Bonaparte. In 1827, the two panels were moved to their current location, the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where they remained out of public view because of their nudity until 1838, when they finally were displayed to the public.

See also

• List of engravings by Albrecht Dürer
• List of paintings by Albrecht Dürer

External links

• The 1504 print at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Adam panel at the Museo del Prado
• The Eve panel at the Museo del Prado