Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553) was a brilliant and prolific artist of the German Renaissance, adept at painting, printmaking, and creating decorative murals. Steady employment came from successive Electors of Saxony, all active patrons of the arts and scholarship: Frederick the Wise, his brother John the Steadfast, and John’s son John Frederick the Magnanimous (John Frederick I). Prince-electors were an exclusive group of German princes allowed to take part in the election of the Holy Roman Empire’s emperor.
As court painter, Cranach made portraits of the electors and their extended families and allies. , including leaders of the Protestant Reformation, such as Martin Luther. Additionally, he painted religious and mythological scenes.
