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The Temptation: C.1-1914

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An image of Plate
Current Location: In storage

Titles

The Temptation

Maker(s)

Unknown (Probably)
Printmaker: Beham, Hans Sebald (Maker of woodcut)

Entities

Categories

Description

Pale buff earthenware, tin-glazed overall; the reverse off-white and faintly tinged with green. Painted in blue, green, yellow, orange, reddish-orange, brown, black, and white.
Shape 51. Circular with a wide sloping rim and small shallow central depression.
The Temptation. On the right, Eve sits on a bank, her right hand raised as she looks towards the Serpent which is entwined round the Tree of Knowledge; with her left hand she offers the fruit to Adam who is seated on a rock on the left, holding out his left hand to take it. In the foreground there are rocks, bushes and grass; behind Adam and Eve, shrubs, distant mountains and sky. The edge is yellow. On the back `Adamo et eua.' is inscribed in the middle in dark blue. The base is encircled by one yellow band and the rim by two.

Legal notes

Given by A. von Hügel

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 23.3 cm
Height: 3.0 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1914) by Hügel, A. von

Dating

16th Century
Renaissance
Circa 1555 CE - 1570 CE

Note

Probably made in Urbino, or possibly in Venice. The source of the design was the woodcut by Hans Sebald Beham in Biblisch Historien, Frankfurt-am-Main (Christian Egenolph), 1533 or one of seven later editions, the last in 1557

School or Style

Renaissance

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of high-temperature colours ( blue, green, yellow, orange, reddish-orange, brown, black, and white)

Materials used in production

Tin-glaze
Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Tin-glazing : Pale buff earthenware, tin-glazed overall; the reverse off-white and faintly tinged with green. Painted in blue, green, yellow, orange, reddish-orange, brown, black, and white.

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: Adamo (with dash over top of o) et eva

  • Text: Adamo et eva
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Painted in dark blue

Inscription present: square

  • Text: printed in black `CAMBRIDGE/EXHIBITION, 1902./LENT BY' and in faded ink `Baron A von Hügel'. Above and below the name, in black ink `"c. 1560-70/Urbino School, possibly/made in Venice"/B Rackham 1921'.
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Printed in black and in black ink
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.1-1914
Primary reference Number: 71492

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 30 April 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "The Temptation" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/71492 Accessed: 2025-12-05 11:28:02

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/71492 |title=The Temptation |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 11:28:02|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-71492

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    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa1/C_1_1914_281_29.jpg"
        alt="The Temptation"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">The Temptation</figcaption>
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