The Fall of Man
Artist
Master of Lucretia
(Flemish, ca. 1520)
CultureFlemish
Dateca. 1520
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions45 1/2 x 35 5/8 in. (115.6 x 90.5 cm)
Overall, Frame: 49 1/2 x 40 x 3 in. (125.7 x 101.6 x 7.6 cm)
Overall, Frame: 49 1/2 x 40 x 3 in. (125.7 x 101.6 x 7.6 cm)
Credit LineA gift of Adrianne and Edwin Joseph
Object number2001.38.2
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionThis is an oil on panel painting of Adam and Eve. Eve holds the apple; in the center background a snake with a female human head twirls around a branch toward the couple.Label TextMaster of Lucretia Flemish, active ca. 1520 The Fall of Man Oil on wood It’s a terrible moment. Defying God’s command, Eve has taken the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, ensuring the fall from grace that will condemn all humans to sin and death. The artist underscores woman’s devilish role in this disaster by giving a female face to the serpent who encouraged Eve to take the fruit and share it with Adam. Even so, the painting celebrates Adam and Eve’s beauty. Medieval artists typically showed the biblical first couple as guilty sinners, physically plain or even ugly, and ashamed in their nakedness. Yet here the two are elegantly posed and ideally proportioned—their flawless forms glowing against a dark forest setting. The shift in tone reflects the new Renaissance ideal of the human figure. Perfected in Italy, this classically inspired approach soon spread northward, where artists like the Master of Lucretia used the subject to demonstrate their mastery of the nude. Gift of Edwin and Adrianne Joseph 2001.38.2 ProvenancePrivate collection; Christie's, London, July 7, 1989, lot 59; Adrianne and Edwin Joseph, 1989-2001; Gift of Edwin and Adrianne Joseph to the Chrysler Museum of Art, 2001.
