A red velvet cloth held by three winged angel putti forms a kind of baldachin between the group - consisting of the Virgin Mary, her son and the Infant St John - and the neutral background. Depicted in a three-quarter view, the Madonna clasps both hands around the unclothed Christ
A red velvet cloth held by three winged angel putti forms a kind of baldachin between the group - consisting of the Virgin Mary, her son and the Infant St John - and the neutral background. Depicted in a three-quarter view, the Madonna clasps both hands around the unclothed Christ Child standing on her lap and receiving an apple from John. The offering and acceptance of the apple are symbolic of the Fall of Man and his redemption through Christ's sacrificial death. John is dressed in a girded fur garment in allusion to his later hermitage in the desert. When John baptized Christ he recognized him as the Messiah and called him 'Lamb of God' - a circumstance referred to by the lamb on which he is bracing his left hand.
Metaphorically complex images of the Virgin Mary were extremely popular. The subject is one that Cranach returned to frequently with only minor modifications. The artist was able to meet the demand for replicas of this kind thanks to his highly organized studio, which also had a major share in the execution of this picture. The fact that despite some weaknesses, the picture presents itself as a 'typical' Cranach is due to the artist's systematically developed visual language, which rests primarily on highly stylized forms that emphasize the ideal rather than the individual.
[Elsbeth Wiemann, http://onlinekatalog.staatsgalerie.de/detail.jsp?id=66481EEE4E0AE1046EFF4B7B8E57EA4&img=1; 22-07-2015]
- Attribution
- Workshop Lucas Cranach the Elder
Attribution
Workshop Lucas Cranach the Elder | [http://onlinekatalog.staatsgalerie.de/detail.jsp?id=66481EEE4E0AE1046EFF4B7B8E57EA4&img=1; 19 Jan 2016] |
- Production date
- 1535
Production date
1535 | [dated] |
- Dimensions
- Dimensions of support: 119.5 x 83 cm
Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 119.5 x 83 cm
[cda 2015]
- Signature / Dating
Artist's insignia at the top right: serpent with elevated wings, facing left, and dated '1535', in black paint
Signature / Dating
Artist's insignia at the top right: serpent with elevated wings, facing left, and dated '1535', in black paint
- Inscriptions and Labels
On the rear side of the lined canvas a memo in Old Russian script that translates literally as: 'Transferred …
Inscriptions and Labels
Stamps, Seals, Labels:
On the rear side of the lined canvas a memo in Old Russian script that translates literally as: 'Transferred from wood to canvas 1875 year A. Sidorow'; Staatsgalerie Stuttgart inventory label
[Elsbeth Wiemann, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, revised 2015]
- Owner
- Land Baden-Württemberg
- Repository
- Staatsgalerie Stuttgart
- Location
- Stuttgart
- CDA ID
- DE_SGS_2385
- FR (1978) Nr.
- FR227
- Persistent Link
- https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_SGS_2385/