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Lucas Cranach the Elder

The Fall of Man

1509
Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper
34.5 × 24 cm (13.6 × 9.4 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

In this scene from the biblical story of Adam and Eve, Eve is tempted by the serpent above her head to pluck forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. By consuming the fruit, Adam and Eve disobey God, who punishes them with toil, pain, mortality, and exile from Eden. Lucas Cranach here emphasized Eve’s responsibility for the Fall by depicting her as dominant over Adam and the animals in Eden. Eve stands over her submissive husband, supplying him with fruit while encircling his effeminately rounded shoulders with her arm.

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