Lucas Cranach the Elder at Auction

Sotheby’s London 3rd Dec. 2014

The sale will also present The Faun Family, a major work by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553). Not seen on the market for some 60 years, this composition, unique to the artist’s oeuvre, was painted in 1531, at the height of his career. It was commissioned no doubt by a member of the courtly circle in Wittenberg, where Cranach was in the employ of the Electors of Saxony. This outstanding work is remarkable for the precision with which every detail is rendered. It is part of a series of mythological depictions of wild people, forest dwellers or demigods. The subject had long fascinated the artist and culminated in a series of panel paintings from the second half of the 1520s onwards (lot 13, est. £1.2-1.8 million / €1,53-2.29 million / $1.94-2.9 million).

Sotheby's CONTEMPLATION OF THE DIVINE 05 JULY 2014 - 16 JULY 2014 LONDON

LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER

Christie's January 2014

The striking painting Law and Grace by Lucas Cranach I (Kronach 1472-1553 Weimar) and Lucas Cranach II (Wittenberg 1515-1586 Weimar) is among the most important images of the Protestant Reformation (illustrated right; estimate: $1,500,000-2,500,000). Painted in 1536, the panel illustrates Martin Luther's doctrine of justification by faith with explanatory passages from a German translation of the bible written on papers affixed to its lower and upper edges. With its vivid, jewel-toned palette, deep, panoramic landscapes, and expressive figures, Law and Grace exhibits all of the stylistic hallmarks that placed Lucas Cranach at the forefront of artistic innovation in 16^th-century Europe.

Sotheby's OLD MASTER SALE 04 DECEMBER 2013 LONDON

LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER

LUCRETIA

LOT SOLD. 1,022,500 GBP (1,675,264 USD)

The highly refined technique of Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) can be admired in a portrayal of Lucretia, one of the artist’s favourite subjects. Dating from around 1525-27, this round panel is one of very few works painted on an almost miniature scale by the artist. Cranach’s masterful depictions of the female nude with their sophisticated sensuality have always been among the most coveted of his creations and this panel has the distinction of having belonged to one of the foremost collectors of the late 19th century, Count Grigory Stroganoff (1829 - 1910) (lot 3, est. £300,000-500,000/ €349,000-585,000/ $467,000-780,000.

Christie's December 2013

 A very impressive large panel Suffer the Little Children to Come unto Me, 1538 by Lucas Cranach (1472-1553) which is in beautiful condition (estimate: £250,000-350,000) t

Christie’s Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale in London  2 July 2013 

Portrait of Albrecht von Brandenburg as Saint Jerome in a landscape by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) is an icon of Northern Renaissance art (estimate: £1.5-2 million). The picture is rare surviving evidence of the relationship between Albrecht von Brandenburg, the supreme Catholic dignitary in Germany in the early decades of the 16th century, and Lucas Cranach the Elder, an artist often described as Martin Luther’s foremost propagandist. The story of this portrait brings together three titans of the Reformation whose inextricably entwined destinies shaped this period of European history. This painting is the only one of four surviving portraits of Albrecht in the guise of Saint Jerome painted by Cranach, to remain in private hands.

Christ on the Cross is a unique, intimate depiction of this subject by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) (Pr.£1,137,075($1,729,491)). This poignant work seamlessly blends extreme pictorial refinement with a heightened sense of pathos.

Sotheby's 2013

LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER

CHRIST AS MAN OF SORROWS

LOT SOLD. 302,500 USD

Sotheby's 2008

LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER

HERCULES AND ANTAEUS