The Fall of Man

c. 1513

Albrecht Altdorfer

Associated Names
Albrecht Altdorfer

Artist, German, 1480 or before - 1538

Two nude full-body figures, a male and a female, are depicted in an embrace. The male figure has his back turned toward the viewer with his arm around the female figure. The female figure is facing the viewer in profile with long, curly hair cascading down her shoulders. Both figures are unclothed, and the female figure's hands are clasped at her chest. They stand next to a large tree with a serpent coiled around its trunk, extending its head toward the female figure. In the background are dark, cross-hatched lines indicating depth and texture, with hints of foliage and another tree visible. The image is rendered in a monochromatic palette in a vintage style.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of W.G. Russell Allen

  • Dimensions

    block: 7.2 × 4.9 cm (2 13/16 × 1 15/16 in.)
    sheet: 7.6 × 5.2 cm (3 × 2 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1941.1.109

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. w. 1

  • Series Title

    The Fall and Redemption of Man

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Albertina, Vienna (duplicate, Lugt 5g). W.G. Russell Allen [1882-1955], Boston; gift to the NGA, 1941.

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

Q64952408

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