CJ Behem (active c. 1642)
Adam and Eve Signed and dated 1642
Oil and tempera on panel | 29.9 x 25.0 x 0.9 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 403929
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This is a painted copy int he same sense of a print of 1579 by Jan Sadeler after a painting by Maarten de Vos. It is signed and dated 'C. J. Behem 1642', though nothing is known of an artist of this name. The painting expands the landscape around the central episode, adding the peacock and lambs in the foreground and the animals on the left side - guinea pig, stork, kingfisher, cattle, deer and elephant.
In a lush wooded landscape with a river, the full-length naked figure of Eve stands under the Tree of Knowledge offering an apple to the seated figure of Adam, indicating the Serpent, which is half female, with her right hand.Provenance
One of the group of early German works from the 77 paintings belonging to Prince Ludwig von Oettingen-Wallerstein (1791-1870), which were first offered to Prince Albert in 1847 as security for a loan and came into his possession by default (no 48 in Waagen’s catalogue of 1854); 25 of them were accepted by the National Gallery in 1863
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil and tempera on panel
Measurements
29.9 x 25.0 x 0.9 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
51.2 x 46.1 x 4.7 cm (frame, external)
Category
Object type(s)
Alternative title(s)
The Fall of Our First Parents
