Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Naked aside from carefully placed fig leaves, Adam and Eve stand facing each other amid a dark wood. The couple’s idealized bodies—modeled on famous mythological prototypes of Apollo and Venus that were well known from classical statuary—exude a marble-like glow. The animals surrounding them symbolize nature in a state of perfect balance before the Fall. Dürer’s sense of triumph is evident in the Latin inscription on the cartouche, stating: “Albrecht Dürer of the North made this 1504.” It not only announces his pride in having finally fathomed the supposed secrets of perfect human form but also serves as a territorial boast. Dürer is keenly aware that, as a northerner (German), he has mastered a subject regarded until now as the exclusive province of Italian artists.