Martin Luther and the Wittenberg Reformers
Martin Luther and the Wittenberg Reformers
Artist
Lucas Cranach the Younger
German (Wittenberg), 1515-1586
Dateabout 1543
Dimensionspainting: 27 5/8 x 15 5/8 in. (70.2 x 39.7 cm)
frame: 33 1/2 x 21 3/4 x 2 1/2 in. (85.1 x 55.2 x 6.4 cm)
frame: 33 1/2 x 21 3/4 x 2 1/2 in. (85.1 x 55.2 x 6.4 cm)
Mediumoil on wood panel
ClassificationPaintings
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1926.55
On View
Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 19
Collections
Published References- Paintings
Waagen, G., Treasures of Art in Great Britain, London, 1854, III, p. 219.
Waring, J.B., ed., Art Treasures of the United Kingdom from the Art Treasures Exhibition, Manchester, London, Day and Son, 1858, p. 42, no. 463.
Bürger, W., (T. Thoré), Trésors d'art en Angleterre, 3rd ed., Paris, 1865, p. 144.
Schuchardt, C., Lucas Cranach, d.Ä. Leben und Werke, 1871, III, pp. 259-260.
Kuhn, C., A Catalogue of German Paintings of the Middle Ages and Renaissance in American Collections, Cambridge, Mass., 1936, no. 150, pl. XXVII, fig. 150.
Blanke, F., "Ikonographie der Reformationszeit: Fragen um ein Cranach-Bild," Theologische Zeitschrift, VII, Nov.-Dec. 1951, pp. 467-471, repr. opp. pp. 468, 469.
Fabian, E., Der Reformationskanzler Dr. Gregor Brück als der grosse "Unbekannte," Frankfort-a-Main, 1951.
Bornkamm, H., "Zu Cranachs Reformetorenbild," Theologische Zeitschrift, VIII, Jan.-Feb. 1952, pp. 72-74.
Fabian, E., "Zum 'Wittenbergere Reformatorenbild' Cranachs: Brück und Bugenhagen," Theologische Zeitschrift, VIII, May-June, 1952, pp. 1-4.
Fabian, E., "Neue Goethe-Ahnenbildnisse," Zeitschrift für Genealogie und Bevölkerungkunde, II, 1952, pp. 42, 46, n. 14.
Osiander, R., "Portraits van Andreas Osiander," Theologische Zeitschrift, XV, Jan. 15, 1959, pp. 255-264, fig. 1.
Myers, Bernard S., ed., Encyclopedia of Painting, p. 132, repr. in color.
Werner, Alfred, "Lucas Cranach Rediscovered," The American-German Review, vol. XXI, no. 6, August-September 1961, p. 14, repr.
Grosser, Maurice, Critic's Eye, Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill, 1962, p. 168.
Zimmermann, H., "Uber einige Bildniszeichnungen Lucas Cranachs d.J.," Pantheon, XX, Jan.-Feb. 1962, pp. 8-9, figs. 1, 5.
Fabian, E., "Cranach-Bildnisse des Reformationskanzlers Dr. Gregor Brück," Theologische Zeischrift, XX, 1964, pp. 269-278.
Toledo Museum of Art, The Toledo Museum of Art, European Paintings, Toledo, 1976, p. 45, pl. 66.
Willis, F. Roy, Western Civilization: an Urban Perspective, 3rd. ed., Lexington, Mass., 1981, repr. p. 524.
Rumsey, Thomas R., Men and Women of the Renaissance and Reformation 1300-1600, Wellesley Hills, Mass., 1981, p. 217, repr.
Hayes, Carlton J.H., et. al., History of Western Civilization, 2nd ed., New York, 1966, repr. p. 350.
Frank, H.T. and others, The Bible through the Ages, Cleveland, 1967, repr. (col.) p. 195.
Stomberg, Roland N., A History of Western Civilization, rev. ed., Homewood, Ill., 1969, repr. p. 255.
Cronin, Vincent, The Flowering of the Renaissance, London, 1969, repr. opposite p. 112.
Lyon, Bryce, A History of the Western World, Chicago, 1969, p. 401, repr.
Grütter, W., Der geschichtliche Weg unserer Welt bis 1776, Paderborn, 1969, repr. (col.) abb. 61, opposite p. 108.
Fehr, Gotz, Deutschland, München, 1970, p. 323, repr. p. 96.
"Painting in Northern Europe 1450-*1550," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, New Series, vol. 13, no. 2, Summer 1970, p. 40, repr.
Vivet, Jean Pierre, Les Memoires de l'Europe II: Le Renouveau Eurepeen 1453-1600, Paris, 1971, repr. (col.) p. 249.
Strayer, Joseph R. et. al., Western Civilization Since 1500, New York, 1969, repr. p. 66.
Wallbank, T. Walter et al., Civilization Past and Present, 4th ed., Glenview, Ill., 1971, repr. p. 312.
Naidis, Mark, The Western Tradition, Hinsdale, Ill., 1972, repr. p. 210.
Slavin, Arthur J., The Way of the West, Lexington, Mass., 1973, repr. vol. 2, p. 312.
Weber, Erwin W., "Lucas Cranach: Painter of the Reformation," The Lutheran Journal, vol. 49, no. 2, 1982, repr. (col.) p. 9.
Martin Luther und die Reformation in Deutschland, Frankfurt am Main, Insel Verlag, 1983, no. 429, p. 324, repr.
Dillenberger, Jane, Image and Spirit in Sacred and Secular Art, New York, 1990, p. 138, 140, fig. 95.
Christensen, Carl C., Princes and Propaganda: Electoral Saxon Art of the Reformation, Kirksville, MO, 1992, p. 69, 71, fig. 26.
Bishop, Philip E., Adventures in the Human Spirit, Englewood Cliffs, 1994, repr. p. 213.
Stievermann, Dieter, "Lucas Cranach und der Kursächsische Hof," in Lucas Cranach, ein Maler-Unternehmer aus Franken, Augsburg, 1994, p. 72, fig. A 40 (col.) [not in exhibition].
Grendler, Paul F., ed., The Renaissance: an Encyclopedia for Students, New York, London, Charles Scribner's, 2003, vol. 4, pl. 12, (col.).
Marx, Harald, Glaube & Macht: Sachsen im Europa der Reformationszeit, Dresden, M. Sandstein, 2004, p. 20, Abb. 7 (col.) p. 24.
McCain, Paul Timothy, Concordia: the Lutheran Confessions, Saint Louis, MO, Concordia Publishing, 2005, no. 21 (col.).
Lotz-Heumann, Ute, "Die deutsche Reformation und die Konfessionalität in Europa," in Heiliges Römisches Reich deutscher Nation 962 bis 1806: altes Reich und neue Staaten 1495 bis 1806, vol. 2, essays, Dresden, Sandstein Verlag, 2006, abb. 1, p. 144 (col.).
Ocker, Christopher, Church Robbers and Reformers in Germany 1525-1547: Confiscation and Religious Purpose in the Holy Roman Empire, Leiden, Brill, 2006, p. 132, repr.
The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 136, repr. (col.).
Cranach digital archive: the research resource, Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast; Cologne University of Applied Sciences, 2009-, Link to resource
Livres et Manuscrits, Paris, Sotheby's, May 18, 2010, repr. (col.) p. 79.
Warner-Johnson, Tim, Colnaghi: Old Master Paintings 2010, London, 2010, p. 29, repr. p. 29, figs. 3 and 4.
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, St. Louis, Concordia Publishing House, 2011, p. 662, repr. no. 21.
Reinitzer, Heimo, Tapetum Concordiae: Peter Heymans Bildteppich Für Philipp I. Von Pommern Und Die Tradition Der Von Mose Getragenen Kanzeln, Berlin, De Gruyter, 2012, p. 44-45, fig. 28, repr. (col.) p. 300.
Sherman, Dennis and Joyce Salisbury, The West in the World: A History of Western Civilization, New York, McGraw Hill, 2014, 5th ed., repr. p. 333.
Bild und Botschaft: Cranach im Dienst von Hof und Reformation, Heidelberg, Morio Verlag, 2015, pp.288-289, repr. (col.) p. 289, cat. no. 104.
Schneider, Katja ed., et al., Luther! 95 Treasures-95 People, Munich, Germany, Hirmer Verlag, 2017, p. 248, repr. p. 249.
Exhibition HistoryManchester, England, Catalogue of the Art Treasures of the United Kingdom, 1857.
Toronto, Art Gallery of Toronto; Toledo, The Toledo Museum of Art,Two Cities Collection, 1948, no. 9.
Toledo, The Toledo Museum of Art, Portraits and Portraiture Throughout the Ages, 1937, no. 3.
Zurich, Switzerland, Zurich Museum of Art, Zurich, 1951.
Manchester, City Art Gallery, Art Treasures Centenary Exhibition, 1957, no. 40.
Princeton, Princeton University Art Museum, Paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder Shown...in Memory of Erwin Panofsky, 1969, no. 4.
Nuremberg, Germanischen Nationalmuseum, Martin Luther und die Reformation in Deutschland, 1983, no. 429
Torgau, Schloss Hartenfels, Glaube & Macht: Sachsen im Europa der Reformationszeit, May 24-Oct. 10, 2004.
Gotha, Germany, Herzogliches Museum, Image and Message: Cranach in the Service of the Court and the Reformation, March 29 – July 19, 2015.
Torgau, Schloss Hartenfels, Luther and the Princes: The Ruler’s Image and Concept in the Age of Reformation, July 27, 2015 - October 31, 2015.
Wittenberg, Germany, Augusteum (Luther Mermorials Foundation Saxony-Anhalt), Luther! 95 People - 95 Treasures. May 13, 2017-August 3, 2017.
Label TextMartin Luther (1483-1546), the Catholic Church reformer who sparked the Protestant Reformation in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517, is shown here on the left, behind the splendidly dressed figure of John Frederick the Magnanimous of Saxony. John Frederick (ruled 1532-1547) supported and protected Luther and his fellow reformers from the Church and the Holy Roman Emperor. The painting is a fragment of a larger composition. The reformers are witness to some event to their left and above, at which many gaze or point. The numbers painted on some of the figures seem to have been added early in the painting’s existence. They once corresponded to a list of names on the back of the panel, identifying key reformers for posterity, such as number 4, theologian and scholar Philipp Melancthon. The artist is the son of Lucas Cranach the Elder (see his painting Saints Catherine, Margaret, and Barbara in Gallery 19). Saxon court artist Cranach the Elder remained a lifelong friend of Martin Luther, painting his portrait many times. Cranach the Younger, successful in his own right, took over his father’s workshop in 1553.Hans Holbein the Younger
about 1535-1540
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