Martin Luther, study with beret and cloak, facing right

This portrait shows Martin Luther in close-up against a neutral background and its very elaborate execution, namely body colour on parchment, is of high quality. The reformer has a fixed gaze and his gently raised head is turned to the right. He wears a scholar's beret over the slightly wavy hair that covers his ears and the characteristic flap is fitted tightly to the back of his head. The dark shadows along the contours of the face and a subtle application of white on the chin, the cheeks, the tip and bridge of the nose and the forehead create the necessary volume and impart a lively, realistic effect. However for a portrait session the sitter is not well-shaven and appears slightly sweaty. The viewer is left with the impression of a bold, almost reckless character, which is quite appropriate for a reformer.

Although Cranach’s Luther images were reproduced on a large scale the iconography can be narrowed down to a few basic types. This rarely published sheet represents a portrait type of the scholarly church founder that was developed in 1532 (see FR314). In the painted version Luther’s feared gaze was inversed and the impetuous appearance of the Reformer was tamed to show the benevolent father figure, ever concerned about the wellbeing and woes of his followers. This portrait on parchment is probably the prototype that was created in front of the live model.

[Christof Metzger, Ausst.-Kat. Düsseldorf 2017, 272, No. 170]