1540
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Temptation by the Snake is a 1540 ink by Heinrich Aldegrever, a Northern Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows two figures in a garden. One is a woman holding a child, while a snake coils around a tree trunk nearby. The background has rough, textured trees and a small lion’s head peeking out from the foliage. The woman looks down at the child, who reaches toward the snake. The artist used fine lines to create deep shadows and detailed textures, like the woman’s curly hair and the rough bark. This kind of printmaking was new at the time. Check out the technique: etching to see how artists like Aldegrever made these sharp, detailed prints.
Heinrich Aldegrever or Aldegraf was a German painter and engraver. He was one of the "Little Masters", the group of German artists making small old master prints in the generation after Albrecht Dürer.
See the richer artist page
