Dürer's Adam and Eve engraving exemplifies the virtuosic potential of the medium. Through infinitesimally nuanced hatching and stippling, Dürer creates tone and texture, suggesting spatial depth and the textures of flesh, bark, and fur, in a bravura display rivalling the mimetic effects of painting, but in black and white, masterfully balancing the demands of naturalism and graphic design. Dürer's signature on the tablet at top left proclaims his authorship, a form of self-advertisement, like the famous monogram with which he usually signed his prints, following the practice of earlier engravers.”
The print was made from an engraved metal plate, which gave artists greater precision in their work, but Dürer continued with woodcut prints, too, as copies of these could be produced in much greater numbers. Metal plates tended to wear out faster and so only around 50 prints could be made before they deteriorated. Dürer hired an agent to sell his prints with great success, helped by his godfather, Anton Koberger (c. 1440-1513 CE), owner of the largest print shop in Germany. Dürer also employed both his mother and sister to sell his own prints. Despite the huge demand for prints, the artist did not neglect painting as he ontinued to make watercolour studies of flora and fauna wherever he went. Clumps of grass, hares, insects, and interesting episodes of light were rendered in exquisite, lifelike detail.