Eve

Lucas Cranach the Elder’s nearly life-size paintings of Adam and Eve (c. 1530) are among the Norton Simon Museum’s best known and most captivating works from this period. Painted when Cranach was serving as court painter to the Electors of Saxony in Wittenberg, the Museum’s pendants are one of at least 18 versions of the temptation of Adam and Eve that the artist and his workshop produced, transforming a composition inspired by Albrecht Dürer’s famous engravings into highly accomplished and provocative paintings.

Anatomy of Lucas Cranach’s Adam and Eve: A Case Study in Conservation

While Lucas Cranach’s Adam and Eve were on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum in 2024 following a multiyear conservation project, a panel discussion was held to share the comprehensive treatments with the public and scholarly community. Representatives from partner institutions presented their research and surprising findings. A recording of the event offers an engrossing dive into the complex nature of wood panel restoration, ensuring that visitors can enjoy Adam and Eve for years to come.

Watch

Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, 1472–1553), Eve, c. 1530, oil on panel, Norton Simon Art Foundation
Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, 1472–1553), Adam and Eve, c. 1530, oil on panel (pair), Norton Simon Art Foundation, on view in the Museums galleries in 2019, photo by Elon Schoenholz