Description
For most of his long career, Lucas Cranach the Elder was court painter to the Elector of Saxony. Although the general placement of Adam and Eve in these paintings reflects the influence of Albrecht Dürer's renowned classicizing treatment of the same subject in paintings and prints, Cranach's slender, undulating figures conform to the contemporary courtly ideals of beauty. This pair is one of the finest of the many versions of the subject made by Cranach and his workshop.
Provenance
Private collection, Stockholm [according to Rich 1936, p. 46]. J. Goudstikker, Amsterdam, by 1935 [record of payment to Goudstikker, September 10, 1935, Art Institute Archives]; sold to Charles H. Worcester, Chicago, September 1935; given to the Art Institute, 1935.
Accession Number
111718
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
107.5 × 36.4 cm (42 5/16 × 14 5/16 in.); Framed: 121.6 × 51.6 cm (47 7/8 × 20 5/16 in.)
Classification
oil on panel
Credit Line
Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
Lucas Cranach the Elder's Adam (1533-37) is an oil on panel painting of the first man, part of a pair depicting Adam and Eve. Cranach was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker, a close friend of Martin Luther. This panel shows Adam in a landscape, his body rendered with the elegant, elongated proportions characteristic of Cranach's style.
Cultural Impact
Cranach was one of the most important German Renaissance painters, and his Adam and Eve panels are masterpieces of Reformation-era art.
Why It Matters
This panel of Adam shows Cranach's elegant, refined style, the elongated figure creating an image of ideal human beauty.
