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Portrait of Magdalena of Saxony, Wife of Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg

A work made of oil on panel.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of oil on panel.

Date:

about 1529

Artist:

Lucas Cranach the Elder
German, 1472 (?)-1553

About this artwork

As court painter to the electors of Saxony, Lucas Cranach the Elder developed a portrait style that catered to his patrons’ concern with dynastic continuity by emphasizing their princely status through careful depictions of their sumptuous garb and lavish jewelry. The artist’s attention to such details enabled the identification of this sitter: a signet ring in a companion portrait of her husband in the Philadelphia Museum of Art reveals her to be the Saxon princess Magdalena. A watercolor showing Magdalena in the same richly patterned dress suggests that Cranach made this portrait during his visit to Berlin around 1529.

Status

On View, Gallery 207

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Lucas Cranach, the Elder

Title

Portrait of Magdalena of Saxony, Wife of Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1520–1540

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

59.8 × 41.6 cm (23 9/16 × 16 3/8 in.); Painted surface: 59.8 × 40.6 cm (23 9/16 × 16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Kate S. Buckingham

Reference Number

1938.310

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/87760/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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