Hans Brosamer’s woodcut, “The Fall of Man”, c1550

Hans Brosamer (aka Hans Brosshamer; Hans Brösamer) (c1495–c1554)

“The Fall of Man” (TIB title) (aka “Eve persuadant Adam à manger du fruit de l’arbre de vie” [Bartsch title]), c1550, printed and published by Hans Lufft (fl. c1523–1584) in Wittenberg as an illustration to “Biblia: Das 1^st: Die Gantze Heilige Schrift: Deudsch Doct. Martin Luther” (Bible: The 1st: The Whole Holy Scriptures: German Doct. Martin Luther).

Woodcut on laid paper with German letterpress text below the image borderline and verso, backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 11.7 x 15.8 cm; (image borderline) 10.5 x 14.8 cm.

Monogrammed in plate within the image borderline:  (on base of tree with the artist’s initials in ligature) “HB”.

TIB 2 (466) (Robert A Koch [ed.] 1981, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Early German Masters,” vol 17, New York, Abaris Books, p. 23, cat. no. 2 [466]); Hollstein 13; Dodgson II.390.9.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“The fall of mankind; the tree of knowledge with the serpent at centre, to left Adam and Eve with various animals, to right Adam and Eve hiding in bushes from God. Illustration used in the Luther Bible, Wittenberg: Hans Lufft, 1550 (?)/ Woodcut” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1848-0304-3).

Condition: strong and well-printed impression, trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline and laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.   

The sheet is in excellent condition  with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains or foxing.

I am selling this early woodcut showing two episodes of “Fall of Man”—on the left Adam waits to receive a very large apple being picked from the Tree of Knowledge by Eve while on the right the Bible’s first man and woman are expelled from the Garden of Eden by God—for AU$327 (currently US$248.40/EUR227.99/GBP190.07 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this rare woodcut, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold