Eve Tempted by the Serpent; Defendente Ferrari; Attributed to

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Description

Accession Number
1967/1.38
Title
Eve Tempted by the Serpent
Artist
Defendente Ferrari
Artist Nationality
Italian
Artist Life Dates
active 1500-1535
Medium and Support
tempera on panel
Object Creation Date
1520-1525
Object Creation Place
Europe (continent)
Italy (nation)
Piedmont (region)
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Style/Group/Movement
Renaissance
Period
Europe, Renaissance (1475-1520)
Dimensions
36.7 cm x 35.7 cm x 3.2 cm (14 7/16 in. x 14 1/16 in. x 1 1/4 in.)
Century
16th century
Primary Object Classification and Primary Object Type
Painting
panel painting
Secondary Object Classification
Decorative Arts
Physical Description
A nude woman with long hair flowing down her back grasps a tree branch with her right hand and bends it downward in order to more easily pluck the green fruit dangling at its tip with her left hand. Her white body contrasts starkly with the darker tones of the surrounding landscape. The less conspicuous figure of a serpent with the head of a bearded man coils about the trunk of the tree next to the woman and fixes her with his stare.
Subject Matter
This panel represents Eve in the Garden of Eden tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3). The serpent appears with the leering head of a bearded man to demonstrate his diabolical nature. This panel originally formed part of a piece of furniture, perhaps a type of marriage chest known as a cassone, where it would have been complemented by other painted decoration, including a companion image of Adam.
Primary Keywords
apples
gardens
genesis
landscapes (representations)
piedmont (region)
snakes
Secondary Keywords
animals and creatures
bible
buildings and the land
descriptors
document genres
document genres by function
europe (continent)
food
fruit
geographic and political locations
information forms
italy (nation)
materials
materials by function
objects we use
old testament
open spaces
open spaces and site elements
open spaces by form
religious texts
reptiles
visual works
visual works by subject type
Rights
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