The Fall of Man

c. 1513

Albrecht Altdorfer

Associated Names
Albrecht Altdorfer

Artist, German, 1480 or before - 1538

This is a drawing of two figures under a tree with a serpent coiled around it. The scene is depicted with fine lines and intricate shading. Two nude human figures are shown in the foreground, with one figure offering something to the other. The background features a tree with a serpent wrapped around it, its head visible above the figures. The setting suggests a garden or wooded area, emphasized by the presence of the tree and the detailed, textured bark. The overall composition is carefully balanced, with the figures centrally placed and the natural elements surrounding them.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to block): 7.2 × 4.9 cm (2 13/16 × 1 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.326

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. w. 1

  • Series Title

    The Fall and Redemption of Man

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA, 1929; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1963

  • Winzinger, Franz. Albrecht Altdorfer, Graphik: Holzschnitte, Kupferstiche, Radierungen. Munich: R.Piper and Co., 1963, no. 26.

1996

  • The New Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 1400-1700. (Albrecht Aldorfer, Ursula Mielke, author). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. w. 1.

Wikidata ID

Q64952454

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