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The Fall of Adam and Eve

Hans Burgkmair1525, printed later

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

This story of Adam and Eve occurs in a tropical
location, placing the Garden of Eden closer to
what viewers may have believed to be its true
location. Palm trees were also associated with
human virtues in devotional literature of the

time. The artist’s version of the Genesis story
places the blame for human transgression
squarely on Eve, who appears to persuade
Adam to partake of the fruit, while a monkey,
a symbol of bodily pleasure, mimics the
humans by bringing fruit to its mouth. Since
they were often hung on walls, like paintings,
prints of this size rarely survive.

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Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).
Learn more about this artwork.
  • Title: The Fall of Adam and Eve
  • Creator: Hans Burgkmair (German, 1473–1531)
  • Date Created: 1525, printed later
  • Physical Dimensions: Platemark: 95 x 65.4 cm (37 3/8 x 25 3/4 in.); Sheet: 95.7 x 66.2 cm (37 11/16 x 26 1/16 in.)
  • Type: Print
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1951.278
  • Medium: woodcut on eight sheets of paper
  • Fun Fact: In this second state of the print, Eve's nudity was covered with an olive leaf.
  • Department: Prints
  • Culture: Germany, 16th century
  • Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
  • Collection: PR - Woodcut
  • Accession Number: 1951.278
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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