Martin Luther

Today we honour the 470th anniversary of Martin Luther's death. On this occasion, we present you this incredibly famous portrait, owned by Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan. The great German religious reformer and father of Protestantism, is depicted half-bust against a blue background. He is wearing a black cap that lets slip locks of curly hair. The black mass of his clothes concentrates the attention on his face, with its thin lips, prominent nose, and lines marking the eyes. He has a lively, almost ironical gaze. The precision of the drawing is typical of German Renaissance art. Cranach, in particular, was an esteemed engraver and his drawing ability is clearly visible also in his painting. Using brushes with fine points, he outlined the smallest detail, as can also be seen in the Diptych with the Virgin, the Child and Saint John the Baptist also in the Poldi Pezzoli Museum. The date 1529 is visible to the left of the reformer, together with a winged dragon, which the artist, followed by his sons Hans and Lucas the Younger (both painters), used as his symbol. The portraits are accompanied by two quotations from the Bible: on Luther’s: “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” from Isaiah (30:15); on his wife’s: “She shall be saved in childbearing” from the first Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy (2:15). Cranach adhered to the Protestant reforms and his image of Luther was spread far and wide through numerous copies – among which this painting – produced in series by his extremely active workshop.