Follower of Lucas Cranach the Elder (Kronach, Bavaria, 1472 - 1553, Weimar, Thuringia)
Adam and Eve, 16th century
Oil on panel , 146 x 95 cm (57 1/2 x 37 3/8 in.)
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This oil painting depicts the biblical scene of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The naked, light-skinned figures of Adam and Eve fill the foreground. A tall apple tree with a brown trunk, green leaves, and several apples, frames the scene to our right and across the top of the panel. The figure of Adam is to our left. He stands straight with his head tilted slightly to our right, looking at Eve. He has reddish hair and the shadow of a beard. His left arm is next to his side and holding an apple, and his right arm is bent in order to receive an apple from Eve. A spray of fig leaves covers the area between his legs. Eve, to our right, has long reddish hair. She turns toward Adam. She gives Adam an apple with her right hand; her left hand rests on the tree next to her. A smaller spray of fig leaves covers the area between her legs. A large serpent winds around the top of the tree trunk with its head projecting out and down toward the figures. The garden appears in the midground, with animals including peacocks and deer standing and eating. To our far left, a naked couple stands next to another figure shrouded in an oval of light. A large, dark leafy tree is behind this group. A winding stream leads back to a body of water painted in shades of blue. The sky behind is blue with puffy gray and white clouds.
Gothic Room
Commentary
This puzzling painting was one of the first works by an old master that Isabella Gardner purchased. She bought it in 1892 as a painting by Lucas Cranach, but since then scholars have disputed that attribution. Some say the figures may have been painted by Cranach; others feel they are too sweetly portrayed and must be by another, less-talented artist. Also, no other known Cranach paintings include such large areas of sky or landscapes that appear to recede into space, as this one does. Is this a painting begun by Cranach and then finished or reworked by a student or assistant? Or is it by a later imitator?