Lucretia

Lucas Cranach the Elder1533

Renaissance and Reformation. German Art in the Age of Dürer and Cranach

The Roman authors Livy and Ovid tell the story of Lucretia stabbing herself to death to restore her honor after being raped. Sculptors of the Renaissance favored this theme as an opportunity to produce female nudes. Cranach’s exceptional version in Berlin depicts the virtuous heroine as gracious and elegant; her necklace and transparent scarf underscore her erotic appeal.

Details

Title: Lucretia
Creator: Lucas Cranach the Elder
Date Created: 1533
Physical Dimensions: 37.3 × 23.9 cm
Technique and Material: Oil on beech
Provenance: Acquired in 1917 as a bequest from the heirs of the painter Ludwig Knaus
Museum: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie
Inv.-No.: 1832
ISIL-No.: DE-MUS-017018
External Link: http://www.smb.museum/museen-und-einrichtungen/gemaeldegalerie/home.html
Copyright: Photo © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie / Volker-H. Schneider; Text © Renaissance and Reformation: German Art in the Age of Dürer and Cranach, A Cooperation of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, and the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen München, Catalogue of the Exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Nov 20, 2016 – March 26, 2017, Munich: Prestel, 2016; cat. no. 71 / Stephan Kemperdick
Catalogue: https://prestelpublishing.randomhouse.de/book/Renaissance-and-Reformation/Stephanie-Buck/Prestel-com/e504919.rhd
Artist Dates: 1472 Kronach–1553 Weimar
Artist Biography: Cranach, whose name derived from his birthplace, Kronach, was presumably trained by his father. Around 1502 Cranach was staying in Vienna, where he produced his first documented works. In 1504 Elector Frederick the Wise of Saxony called him to his court in Wittenberg, where Cranach would head a very large, extremely productive workshop. The Cranach factory was active in prints as well as paintings. His many portraits of Martin Luther—the Cranach and Luther families were close friends—and his altarpieces with decidedly Reformist programs made Cranach and his memorable style the epitome of Protestant visual culture. Nevertheless, Cranach was also active for Luther’s adversaries, such as Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg.

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Lucas Cranach the Elder German Renaissance Myth Mythology Renaissance