Abstract

This 1551 woodcut is another example of the Protestant portrait. It portrays a mature Martin Luther as a dignified spiritual authority. The inscription reads: “Faithful rendering of the blessed Dr. Martin Luther / through whom God / as his chosen instrument / in our time / has again revealed the true and clear light of his Holy Gospel / may God ensure that we are thankful for it and remain so / Amen.” The winged snake on the right, which was Lucas Cranach the Elder’s signature, identifies this woodcut as the work of a member of Cranach’s workshop, in this case, his son, Lucas Cranach the Younger.

Portrait of Luther as an Old Man (1551)

Heinrich Aldegrever

Source

Source: Portrait of Martin Luther after Lucas Cranach the Younger, woodcut by an unknown artist, 1551. Staatsbibliothek Bamberg SBB, I L 26, https://www.staatsbibliothek-bamberg.de/en/historical-collections/maps-prints-and-drawings/#group-c3228-11

SBB

Recommended Citation

Portrait of Luther as an Old Man (1551), published in: German History in Documents and Images, <https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/from-the-reformations-to-the-thirty-years-war-1500-1648/ghdi:image-3318> [April 22, 2025].