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Martin Luther (1483–1546)

Workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder German
probably 1532
Not on view
Lucas Cranach and his workshop produced many printed and painted portraits of Martin Luther, with whom the artist was well acquainted. In this small panel, the Reformer is shown close up, in three-quarter profile, wearing the distinctive black Protestant vestments. The picture was probably joined with a portrait of Philipp Melanchthon, a theologian, intellectual leader of the Reformation, and Luther’s main collaborator. Several surviving versions indicate that the pairing enjoyed a wide circulation. The present painting, which shows a certain formulaic stiffness, must be considered a repetition by Cranach’s workshop.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Martin Luther (1483–1546)
  • Artist: Workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, Kronach 1472–1553 Weimar)
  • Date: probably 1532
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 13 1/8 x 9 1/8 in. (33.3 x 23.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Robert Lehman, 1955
  • Object Number: 55.220.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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Bust of St. Paul, from the Wittenberg Reliquaries, Lucas Cranach the Elder German, Woodcut
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Martin Luther, Bust to the Left, Lucas Cranach the Elder German, Woodcut
Martin Luther, Bust to the Left
Lucas Cranach the Elder
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Sybilla of Cleves, Wife of John Frederic of Saxony, Lucas Cranach the Elder German, Woodcut
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