Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
- Lucas Cranach the Elder
- German, 1472-1553
- Oil on panel (one of a pair)
- 75 x 27-1/2 in. (190.5 x 69.9 cm)
- Norton Simon Art Foundation
- On view
The son of a painter, Cranach was born in the town of Kronach in Franconia. In 1504, Frederick the Wise of Saxony called him to Wittenberg, where he became Court Painter. Cranach received his noble patron's coat of arms in 1508. This emblem, a winged serpent bearing a ring in its mouth, can be seen on the trunk of the tree beside Adam.
Cranach's treatment of forms and space is rather abstract, even though our initial impression may focus on their apparent naturalism. The highly linear, ornamental manner, and corresponding emotional detachment, are consistent with the Mannerist aesthetic of the sixteenth century. This secular treatment of an Old Testament subject was meant for pleasure rather than instruction. "Adam" and "Eve" (M.1991.1.P) were probably painted for a member of the court of the Elector and intended to hang in domestic surroundings.
The sensual body of Eve, for instance, is stylized and defined by unlikely anatomical proportions. The spiraling curves of her hair have a life of their own. Cranach envisioned her as a temptress, and her blushing cheeks and small breasts are clearly meant to allure. This secular treatment of an Old Testament subject was meant for pleasure rather than instruction. Adam and Eve were probably painted for a member of the court of the Elector and intended to hang in domestic surroundings.