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CRANACH, Lucas the Elder: Housealtar of Count William II of Hessen

🖼 Housealtar of Count William II of Hessen, c. 1508
Panel (central) (each wing)
38 × 25 cm
Berlin, Germany

Gilded wings frame religious scenes in luminous oil panels, with the Virgin and Child central to this portable devotional format. Cranach's intricate altarpiece exemplifies Northern Renaissance patronage, commissioned by a German nobleman for private worship and dynastic legitimacy.

The story of art
The story of art
E. H. Gombrich
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