Jan Gossaert

Gossaert was the court artist to Philip of Burgundy at Utrecht and the first Northern Renaissance artist known to have traveled to Rome. Gossaert’s depiction of the Fall of Man portrays a psychologically charged moment infused with overt eroticism. Eve reaches simultaneously toward the apple and Adam’s groin. Adam is no less culpable, however, as his arms stretch in two directions paralleling those of Eve. Gossaert’s muscular bodies reveal his engagement with Italian models; however, his descriptive approach to the texture and details of skin, bark, snakeskin, and hair—achieved through rubbing, or stumping, natural chalk—indicates his immersion in Northern traditions. The ultimate use of this remarkable drawing is unknown. It may have functioned as a workshop model.