The Story
The House of Solms is a historic German noble family of the Hochadel (high nobility), whose members have historically held the ranks of Imperial Count and Imperial Prince. Since circa. 1100, the seat of the Edelherren of Solms was Solms Castle in the Burgsolms district of today's city Solms. The current House of Solms most likely descend, via the Counts of Luxembourg, from the powerful House of Ardenne and are thus among the oldest European noble families.
In the High and Late Middle Ages the house managed with difficulty to maintain their regional position against their powerful neighbours Nassau and Hesse. They later inherited extensive areas in the Wetterau. Despite fragmentation, they emerged from the territorial conflicts as a family of supra-regional importance. In 1806, the House of Solms was mediatised.
Executed in Hand-colored woodcut with letterpress text, measuring Image, including text: 39.6 x 26.3 cm (15 9/16 x 10 3/8 in.); Sheet: 45.6 x 30.3 cm (17 15/16 x 11 15/16 in.); Secondary Support: 49.6 x 33.8 cm (19 1/2 x 13 5/16 in.), the surface rewards close looking. Lucas Cranach builds the composition through layered glazes and a tightly controlled palette, letting cool shadows recede so that the warm, lit passages step forward. The brushwork shifts from the precise to the almost dissolved — a hallmark of mature Baroque practice.
“A silence so complete it becomes its own witness.”
