The Garden of Eden

The present painting appears to be a composite of several motifs found in works by Lucas Cranach the Elder. While there are no exact matching compositions in the oeuvre of Cranach or his workshop, a number of related elements can be in found in renditions of the same subject, such as the much larger panel in the Kunsthistoriches, Vienna (oil on panel, 31 7/8 x 44 7/8 in.). The quality of certain passages in the present panel are extremely accomplished and close to Cranach himself, in particular the attenuated modeling of the figures and the naturalistic treatment of the animals.