Skip to content

CRANACH, Lucas the Elder: Portraits of Johann I and Frederick III the Wise, Electors of Saxony

🖼 Portraits of Johann I and Frederick III the Wise, Electors of Saxony, 1533
Oil on wood (each)
20 × 15 cm
Florence, Italy

Two figures in austere black robes confront the viewer with penetrating gazes, rendered in Cranach's precise, linear style. Their dual portraits document Saxon power during the Reformation, establishing the Northern Renaissance template for official German portraiture.

The story of art
The story of art
E. H. Gombrich
tap to buy ↗
We recommend Bookshop.org — supports independent bookstores
We recommend Bookshop.org — supports independent bookstores