The Fall of Man

probably c. 1509/1510

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

This is a drawing of a scene in a forest featuring intertwined figures and various animals. The intricate line work depicts two central figures, one giving an apple to the other, with a snake entwined around a tree nearby. There are also depictions of a badger and a goat at their feet, and the scene is filled with dense foliage and branches. The composition is carefully balanced with detailed textures in the bark of the trees and the fur of the animals. The strong contrast created by the black and white ink work adds depth and drama to the scene.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to block): 12.7 × 9.7 cm (5 × 3 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3633

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 126

  • Series Title

    The Small Woodcut Passion

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Joseph Daniel Böhm [1794-1865], Vienna (Lugt 271); Robert Scholtz [1834-1912], Budapest (Lugt 2241); (William Schab, New York); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1760b and Lugt 1932d), 1940; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1956

  • The Life of Christ in Prints, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1956-1957, no cat.

Bibliography

1932

  • Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog; ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna: Verlag Gilhofer und Ranschburg, 1932. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 1971.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 2: no. 187

Inscriptions

in block, bottom right: AD [on tablet]; verso, bottom left, in graphite by a later hand: 17

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q18338580

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