Law and Grace

Law and Grace

Title

Law and Grace

[Lutherhaus Wittenberg, revised 2012]

Painting on wood

Medium

Painting on wood

[Lutherhaus Wittenberg, revised 2012]

The pictorial space is divided in two halves by a tree in the centre. In the foreground Death and the Devil chase a bearded man wearing a loincloth into the flames of hell. A group of prophets watches the incident. Among them is Moses, who holds the commandment tablets in

The pictorial space is divided in two halves by a tree in the centre. In the foreground Death and the Devil chase a bearded man wearing a loincloth into the flames of hell. A group of prophets watches the incident. Among them is Moses, who holds the commandment tablets in his left hand. In the background on the left side of the image the Fall of Man, the brazen serpent and Christ as the Judge of the World in a gloriole of clouds are depicted.

The naked, bearded figure from the left side is shown again beside St John the Baptist, who points to the crucified Christ from whose side blood spurts out over the naked man. On the right edge of the painting the resurrected Christ has defeated Death and the Devil with the victory banner. Christ ascends to Heaven above the burial cave. Only his feet are still visible. In anticipation of the nativity the Christ Child descends to the Virgin on a hill in the background.

[Görres, CDA 2012]

Attributions
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Younger

Attributions

Lucas Cranach the Elder

[Lutherhaus Wittenberg, revised 2012]

Lucas Cranach the Younger

[Exhib. Cat. Gotha/Kassel 2015, 180, No. 47]
[Lutherhaus Wittenberg, revised 2012]

Production date
about 1550

Production date

about 1550

[Exhib. Cat. Gotha 2015, No. 47] [Lutherhaus Wittenberg, revised 2012]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 19 x 25.5 cm

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 19 x 25.5 cm

  • Dimensions including frame: 35.5 x 41.5 cm

  • [Lutherhaus Wittenberg, revised 2012]

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia on the trunk of the central tree: winged serpent (with dropped wings) facing left, in yellow paint, with both a crown and a ring

Signature / Dating

  • Artist's insignia on the trunk of the central tree: winged serpent (with dropped wings) facing left, in yellow paint, with both a crown and a ring

Inscriptions and Labels
  • top left: 'RO: I PALAM [FIT] IRA
    DEI DE COELO [A]DVERSUS
    OMNEM IMPIETATEM ET
    IVSTITIAM

Inscriptions and Labels

Inscriptions, Badges:

    • top left:

  • 'RO: I PALAM [FIT] IRA

  • DEI DE COELO [A]DVERSUS

  • OMNEM IMPIETATEM ET

  • IVSTITIAM [sic] [1] HOMINUM.'

    • top, centre:

  • 'ESAIAE VII DOMINVS

  • IPSE DABIT VOBIS

  • SIGNVM ECCE VIRGO CONCIPIET ET PARIET FILIVM'

    • in the text block at the bottom edge of the painting, in six columns:

  • 'OMNES ENIM PECCAVE-

  • RVNT AC DESTITVVNTV[R]

  • GLORIA

  • DEI

  • ROM: III'

  • 'ACVLEVS AVTEM MORTIS

  • PECCATVM POTENTIA

  • VERO PECCATI LEX

  • I COR: XV LEX IRAM

  • OPERATVR

  • ROM: IIII'

  • 'PER LEGEM AGNITIO PEC

  • CATI ROM: III OMNES PRO-

  • PHETAE ET IPSA LEX VS-

  • QUE AD IOANNEM PRO-

  • PHETAVERVNT

  • MATTHAEI XI'

  • 'NAM IN CHRISTO IESV

  • NEQ: CIRCVMCISIO QVIDQ

  • VALET NEQ: PREPVTIVM

  • SED FIDES OPERANS P

  • DILECTIONEM AD

  • GAL: V'

  • 'ECCE AGNVS ILLE DEI

  • QVI TOLLIT PECCATA

  • MVNDI IO: I PER SANC-

  • TIFICATIONEM SPIRITVS

  • IN OBEDIENTIAM ET AS-

  • PERSIONEM SANGVINIS

  • [IESU CHRISTI

  • PETRI [?] I]

  • 'ABSORPTA EST MORS IN VIC-

  • TORIAM VBI TVVS MORS

  • ACVLEVS VBI TVA INFERNE

  • VICTORIA SED DEO GRATIA

  • QVI DEDIT NOBIS VICTORIA[M]

  • PER DOMINVM NOSTR[VM

  • IESUM CHRISTUM I COR: XV [?]]

  • [1] the wording of the Letter to the Romans in the Vulgata reads: 'INIVSTITIAM HOMINUM'

  • [Görres, CDA 2012]

Owner
Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt
Repository
Lutherhaus Wittenberg
Location
Wittenberg
CDA ID
DE_LHW_G156
FR (1978) Nr.
FR-none
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_LHW_G156/

Provenance

  • John R. Vanderlip Collection, Minneapolis (since 1936)
  • 1974 Alfred Brod Gallery, London
  • 1975 Kunsthaus Lempertz, Cologne
  • 1990 Auktionshaus Dobiaschofsky, Bern
    [Exhib. Cat. Gotha/Kassel 2015, 180]
  • Galerie Wimmer, Munich
  • 2001 purchased by the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt
  • on permanent loan from the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt

[Lutherhaus Wittenberg, revised 2012]

Exhibitions

Gotha/Kassel 2015, No. 47

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Exhib. Cat. Gotha, Kassel 2015 180, 181, 344 47 Pl. p. 181, Fig. 344 (T47)
EditorJulia Carrasco, Justus Lange, Stiftung Schloss Friedenstein, Gotha, Benjamin D. Spira, Timo Trümper
TitleBild und Botschaft. Cranach im Dienst von Hof und Reformation, [Gotha, Herzogliches Museum; Kassel, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Schloss Wilhelmshöhe]
Place of PublicationHeidelberg
Year of Publication2015
Show Literature
Hoppe-Harnoncourt 2015 163, Fn. 52
AuthorAlice Hoppe-Harnoncourt
TitleLucas Cranach der Jüngere? Überlegungen zu zwei datierten Werken aus dem Kunsthistorischen Museum in Wien
Publicationin Elke A. Werner, Anne Eusterschulte, Gunnar Heydenreich, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Pages154-167
Show Literature
Poulsen 2015 A 68
AuthorHanne Kolind Poulsen
TitleCranachs Bildsprache und der neue lutherische Glaube
Publicationin Julia Carrasco, Justus Lange, Benjamin D. Spira, Timo Trümper, Stiftung Schloss Friedenstein Gotha and Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, eds., Bild und Botschaft. Cranach im Dienst von Hof und Reformation, [Exhib. Cat. Gotha, Kassel]
Place of PublicationHeidelberg
Year of Publication2015
Pages63-71
Show Literature
Waterman 2015 282, 283, Fn. 12; 284
AuthorJoshua P. Waterman
TitleThe Artistic Emergence of Lucas Cranach the Younger
Publicationin Elke A. Werner, Anne Eusterschulte, Gunnar Heydenreich, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Pages280-289
Show Literature
Joestel 2008 134 pp. 135-137
EditorVolkmar Joestel
TitleLuthers Schatzkammer. Kostbarkeiten im Lutherhaus Wittenberg
Place of PublicationDößel
Year of Publication2008
Show Literature
Exhib. Cat. Basel 1974/1976 508, 510 355
AuthorDieter Koepplin, Tilman Falk
TitleLukas Cranach. Gemälde, Zeichnungen und Druckgraphik
Volume1, 2
Place of PublicationBasel, Stuttgart
Year of Publication1974
Link http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-diglit-104522
Show Literature
Rieske-Braun [n. d.]
AuthorUwe Rieske-Braun
TitleGesetz und Evangelium. Kontext und Interpretation eines Werkes von Lucas Cranach d. J.. Vorlage für eine Neukonzeption der Ausstellung in der Lutherhalle Wittenberg [unpublished]
Show Literature

Research History / Discussion

[...] On the basis of his ermine coat the prophet Daniel can be identified among the figures gathered around Moses with the commandment tablets.[1] [...]

Opposite the side of Grace exhibits some diviations from the formula of the gotha panel as found on other paintings from the workshop. The conception is depicted in place of the Annunciation to the shepherds shown on the panel in Gotha. And the Risen christ standing triumphant over Death and the devil is not represented on the panel in Gotha.

The small panel - all the other versions from the Cranach workshop are considerably larger in size - was probably created for an educated client. this is supported by the fact that in contrast to all the other versions of 'Law and Grace' here the inscription is in Latin. However, despite that the chosen biblical texts are the same as thoses on the earlier versions.

[1] In addition to the present panel the figure of Daniel, who can be identified on the basis of his ermine coat, was only depicted on a version from 1536 that was auctioned in 2014 at Christie's, a fragment in Munich which is generally considered to be part of a further version, as well as on the title page of 'Die Propheten alle Deudsch'., published in 1541.

[Exhib. Cat. Gotha/Kassel 2015, 180]

The the panel corresponds with the so-called 'Gotha type' iconography of Law and Mercy.

[Görres, CDA 2012]

  • Law and Grace, about 1550

Images

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Technical studies

06. 2010Technical examination / Scientific analysis

  • Infrared reflectography
  • irr

Underdrawing

- an underdrawing is not readily visible

[Smith, Sandner, Heydenreich, cda 2012]

  • photographed by Gunnar Heydenreich
  • photographed by Ingo Sandner

Conservation History

Date22.05.2012

  • the painting was glazed
  • conservation treatment by Angela Günther

Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author
<author's name>, 'Law and Grace', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_LHW_G156/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author
'Law and Grace', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document, entry or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_LHW_G156/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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