Lucas Cranach: His Life, His World and His Art

2005

Central ND588 C8 MW51. Every effort has been made to trace copyright ownership and to obtain permission for reproduction. If you believe you are the copyright owner of an item on this site, and we have not requested your permission, please contact us at special.collections@otago.ac.nz

Bamberg: Babenber Verlag

While Melanchthon was the intellectual backbone of the Reformation, Lucas Cranach the Elder, court painter for Frederick the Wise, was essentially the ‘brand marketing manager’. Luther and Cranach became friends in 1518. It was Cranach’s talent as an artist, businessman, and innovator that helped Luther spread his ‘message’ throughout Germany. Cranach produced some of the most iconic woodcut images of Luther that helped to spread Luther’s ideas and therefore the Reformation. He also published countless works by Luther, most notably Luther’s translation of the Bible (c. 1525). And despite working for and maintaining close relationships with some high profile Catholics, like Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz, Cranach was essentially ‘the authentic creator of Brand Luther’ (Pettegree, 2015).