Artwork
Hunt at the Castle of Torgau in honour of Charles V
Hunt at the Castle of Torgau in honour of Charles V is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Elder. It dates from 1544 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a hunting scene centered on Emperor Charles V and John Frederick I amidst a landscape featuring a castle, trees, and Cervidae.
The painting depicts a hunting scene centered on Emperor Charles V and John Frederick I amidst a landscape featuring a castle, trees, and Cervidae. The composition includes specific iconographic elements such as crossbows, spears, and dogs, which serve as traditional attributes of the hunt. Prominently displayed is the coat of arms and the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece, symbolizing the high status of the imperial guests and the political alliance between the figures.
The work functions as a commemorative record of a specific event honoring Charles V at the Castle of Torgau in 1544, blending the genre of landscape painting with courtly propaganda to celebrate the meeting of these two rulers.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1544, this work by Lucas Cranach the Elder is an oil painting applied on a wooden panel support. The composition measures 114 cm in height and 175 cm in width, presenting a landscape genre scene. Visually, the piece integrates specific heraldic and narrative elements, including the coat of arms and the Order of the Golden Fleece, alongside figures of Charles V and John Frederick I. The formal arrangement incorporates naturalistic details such as trees and Cervidae (deer), juxtaposed with hunting equipment like crossbows, spears, and horses, as well as canine figures.
These components are organized within a setting dominated by the architectural presence of a castle, characteristic of the artist's approach to courtly subjects during this period.
History & Provenance
The painting was produced by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1544, executed in oil on panel. It depicts a stag hunt staged at the Castle of Torgau in honour of the Habsburg emperor Charles V, with the imperial coat of arms and the Golden Fleece among the heraldic elements included in the scene. The work is now held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it is installed in Hall 055B.
The sources do not provide further details regarding the original commission, an intermediate ownership chain, or any earlier provenance prior to the painting's accession by the Prado.
The work is held by the Museo del Prado, where it is displayed in Hall 055B as part of the museum’s collection of early Netherlandish paintings. It is listed in the Prado’s catalogue without an explicit accession number, and the available records do not specify a separate inventory identifier. Exhibition records indicate that the painting has remained in the permanent display since its inclusion in the museum’s holdings, with no documented temporary exhibitions referenced in the sources.
Overview
This large-scale oil painting, titled Hunt at the Castle of Torgau in honour of Charles V, was completed by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1544. It presents a detailed landscape teeming with activity, depicting a royal hunt. The work is an important example of Cranach's ability to combine narrative with extensive natural settings, featuring numerous figures and animals. It is preserved within the collection of the Museo del Prado.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving.
- Hunt at the Castle of Torgau in honour of Ferdinand I
The Stag Hunt of the Elector Frederic the Wise (1463-1525) of Saxony
The Stag Hunt of the Elector Frederic the Wise (1463-1525) of Saxony
A Stag Hunt with the Elector Friedrich the Wise of Saxony
Hunting near Hartenfels Castle
The Stag Hunt of the Elector Johann Friedrich of Saxony, or Frederic the Wise