Adam and Eve (The Fall of Man), 1504

About the Work

When Dürer engraved his ‘Adam and Eve’ in 1504, he was claiming a novel, modern status as a creative artist. Having spent years studying human anatomy as well as classical sculptures and texts, he here depicted the first human beings as examples of ideal and consummate beauty. The engraving technique developed some seventy years earlier enabled him to adopt the position of an artist free to work independently of commissions. And thanks to reproduction by way of printing, the fame of the artwork and its creator quickly spread internationally.