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Adam and Eve

A work made of etching on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of etching on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1638

Artist:

Rembrandt van Rijn
Dutch, 1606-1669

About this artwork

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn’s etching of Adam and Eve, depicts the story of the first Man and Woman with descriptive, wiry lines that create an evocative atmosphere. Shown at the moment of temptation, the couple is surrounded by light that seems about to be blotted out by the dark tree branch and leering serpent (the devil) stretching ominously above them. With their fleshy bodies and ordinary faces (so far removed from Dürer’s idealized pair), Rembrandt’s Adam and Eve are easy to identify with; their confusion, temptation, and choice become ours.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Rembrandt van Rijn

Title

Adam and Eve

Place

Holland (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1638

Medium

Etching on ivory laid paper

Inscriptions

Recto, in plate, lower center: "Rembrandt f. 1638"

Dimensions

16.2 × 11.6 cm (6 7/16 × 4 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Marjorie Blum Kovler Foundation Collection and the Harry and Maribel G. Blum Foundation Collection

Reference Number

1987.247

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/70019/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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