The Fall
Figure Group
ca. 1530-1535 (made)
ca. 1530-1535 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This is a relief in Solnhofen limestone made by Loy Hering in about 1530-1535 in Eichstätt in the Franconian area of South Germany. It depicts the Fall of Man. Loy Hering (about 1485 - about 1554) worked in Eichstätt for nearly forty years. In Eichstätt, as in Augsburg, Nuremberg and numerous other South German cities, there existed a great demand for small-scale sculptures in materials such as Solnhofen stone. The composition, showing Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, is adapted from a woodcut by Hans Baldung Green, dated 1511.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | The Fall (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Solnhofen limestone, carved in relief |
Brief description | Relief, The Fall, Loy Hering, carved Solnhofen limestone, Franconian (Eichstätt), ca. 1530-1535 |
Physical description | Adam and Eve are standing on ground that slopes upwards to a group of three trees behind them. Lush foliage and fruit grow round the tree trunk, and the serpent appears above them in one of the trees. Eve is represented frontally, her long hair streaming behind her. She is standing in a contrapposto pose, resting on her left leg. With her right hand she delicately holds a fig-leaf to cover her nudity, while with her raised left hand she is offering an apple to Adam who stands slightly behind her, reaching with his right hand for another apple. |
Dimensions |
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Object history | Bought from Mr G. Brooks, London, in 1869. Historical significance: The composition is adapted from a woodcut by Hans Baldung Green, dated 1511. Hering significantly changed Baldung Green's interpretation of the Fall in the woodcut. In the present relief Adam is gazing slightly upwards instead of looking at the spectator and places his hand below Eve's breast, rather than delicately touching it as in the woodcut. Here Adam and Eve seem to be in communion, whereas in the woodcut Adam seems to present Eve to the spectator. |
Historical context | The relief may have formed part of a cabinet of curiosities. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This is a relief in Solnhofen limestone made by Loy Hering in about 1530-1535 in Eichstätt in the Franconian area of South Germany. It depicts the Fall of Man. Loy Hering (about 1485 - about 1554) worked in Eichstätt for nearly forty years. In Eichstätt, as in Augsburg, Nuremberg and numerous other South German cities, there existed a great demand for small-scale sculptures in materials such as Solnhofen stone. The composition, showing Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, is adapted from a woodcut by Hans Baldung Green, dated 1511. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 427-1869 |
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Record created | July 29, 2008 |
Record URL |
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