Renaissance Painter · Active 1524 – 1538
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder is among the painters whose work defines the Renaissance era. Paintale holds 6 of Elder’s works in its collection, spanning themes of daily life, portrait, power & politics.
Where to see the work: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Art Institute of Chicago.
Paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder (6)
Portrait of Magdalena of Saxony, Wife of Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg
Lucas Cranach the Elder
About Lucas Cranach the Elder
Working at the height of the Renaissance period, Lucas Cranach the Elder produced a body of work that remains foundational to Western art. The recurring themes across the surviving paintings — daily life, portrait, power & politics, tragedy & death — show an artist returning to the same questions about the human figure, light, and the moral weight of a scene that Renaissance painting was uniquely equipped to answer.
Today, paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder are held in major institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago. Each work on Paintale unpacks the subject, the symbolism, the technique, and the long afterlife of the painting — why it was commissioned, what its earliest viewers were expected to see, and why it still rewards close looking today.
Frequently asked about Lucas Cranach the Elder
- When did Lucas Cranach the Elder live?
- Lucas Cranach the Elder was active around 1524 – 1538, during the Renaissance period.
- Where can I see paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder?
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago.
- What themes did Lucas Cranach the Elder paint?
- Daily Life, Portrait, Power & Politics, Tragedy & Death.