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The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Lucas Cranach the Elder · 1516-01-01

There are four figures in The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne. The title names only three. Painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1516, now at Munich's Alte Pinakothek.

Kneeling at the left edge is a younger woman, possibly Mary as a girl, or an unnamed attendant. She is tucked into the margin of the composition, easy to overlook.

Cranach made this small devotional work as court painter to the Electors of Saxony. He was a close friend of Martin Luther and painted him at least eleven times. This work remains in the Catholic tradition, familial intimacy before the Reformation reshaped German art.

The title names three figures. The painting holds four. How many other details have you scrolled past?

Details

The rich, voluminous fabric creates a sense of earthly presence and maternal warmth, contrasting with the spiritual figures.
The rich, voluminous fabric creates a sense of earthly presence and maternal warmth, contrasting with the spiritual figures.
Their shadowed forms create a sense of enclosure and intimacy, framing the central figures and adding a touch of mystery.
Their shadowed forms create a sense of enclosure and intimacy, framing the central figures and adding a touch of mystery.
Transcript

The court painter of Saxony made this in 1516. Mary's sorrow is already on her face. He was a close friend of Martin Luther. Look to the edge. There is a fourth face. She may be Mary as a girl. Or simply an attendant.