CRANACH, Lucas the Elder
(b. 1472, Kronach, d. 1553, Weimar)

Adam and Eve

1508-10
Oil and tempera on red beechwood, 139 x 54 cm (each)
Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie, Besançon

These two large wood panels have an unusual format. The figures are presented in separate panels against a neutral black background, in contrast to his woodcut dated 1509 which shows the scene in a landscape. They are connected by the Tree of Knowledge which is placed in the central axis and divided between the two panels.

The composition shows striking parallels with Dürer's famous painting of 1507 in Madrid.




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