1526
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Adam bawgt die erden (Adam Ploughing) is a 1526 ink by Hans Lützelburger, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This woodcut shows a busy scene with people working the land. A man in the center plows with two oxen, while others around him tend crops or carry tools. The background has trees and a simple house, and the whole image is drawn in black lines on a light paper. The title at the top means "Adam Ploughing," linking this to a biblical story about the first human working the soil. The style is simple but full of movement, typical of how artists in this time showed everyday life with religious meaning. Next, look up woodcut to see how this printing method shaped art before photography.
Hans Lützelburger (died June 1526), also known as Hans Franck, was a German blockcutter ("formschneider") for woodcuts, regarded as one of the finest of his day.
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