The Suicide of Lucretia

The Suicide of Lucretia

Titles

The Suicide of Lucretia

[CDA 2011]

Lucretia

[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, 118, No. 240G]

Painting on limewood

Medium

Painting on limewood

[Exhib. Cat. Aschaffenburg 2007, 321, No. 68]

The painting depicts Lucretia as a three-quarter length, standing nude figure.

She is represented in an unusual pose as a 'dancing maenad'. Her body is turned slightly to the left, but her head - which she touches with her left hand - is inclined to the right. Her long, red hair

The painting depicts Lucretia as a three-quarter length, standing nude figure.

She is represented in an unusual pose as a 'dancing maenad'. Her body is turned slightly to the left, but her head - which she touches with her left hand - is inclined to the right. Her long, red hair and a cloth, which she wears around her hips, appear to have been blown to the left by a breeze or the movement of the dance. A transparent veil covers her hair and then falls over both upper arms. Lucretia's right hand holds the dagger and is raised to head height, but the expression of sufferance on her face suggests that she has already injured herself with the long tip. Apart from the veil Lucretia wears a large linked chain choker.

The background is dark.

According to the legend Lucretia lived in the 6th century BC and was the beautiful and virtuous wife of the roman Collatinus. The roman King's son - Sextus Tarquinius fell in love with her. During a stay in her house Sextus threatened to kill her and shame her honour if she did not surrender to him. After the rape Lucretia had her father and husband vow vengeance and then she stabbed herself. The event led to an uprising in which the royal family was overthrown and the Roman Empire became a Republic.

Depictions of Lucretia who was seen as the epitomy of female virtue, chastity, fidelity and honour enjoyed great popularity, particularly in the 16th century.

[Literature: Bierende 2002, Follak 2002, Livius 1909]

Attributions
Anonymous Master from the Cranach Workshop
Circle of Lucas Cranach the Elder

Attributions

Anonymous Master from the Cranach Workshop

[Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, revised 2009]

Circle of Lucas Cranach the Elder

'Schule'
[Yeide 2009, 243, No. A92]
[Exhib. Cat. Aschaffenburg 2007, 321, No. 68]
[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, 118, No. 240F/G]

Production date
1526 - 1537

Production date

1526 - 1537

[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, 118, No. 240G]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 39.3 x 27.4 cm

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 39.3 x 27.4 cm

  • [Exhib. Cat. Aschaffenburg 2007, 321, No. 68]

  • [Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, revised 2009]

Signature / Dating

Inscribed on dagger: serpent (with upright wings)

Signature / Dating

  • Inscribed on dagger: serpent (with upright wings)

  • [Exhib. Cat. Aschaffenburg 2007, 321, No. 68]

  • [Bestandsliste Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen 2009]

  • [Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, 118, No. 240G]

Owner
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
Repository
Staatsgalerie im Schloss Johannisburg, Aschaffenburg
Location
Aschaffenburg
CDA ID
DE_BStGS_13258
FR (1978) Nr.
FR240G
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_BStGS_13258/

Provenance

-1927 in the gallery of Dr. Rothmann, Berlin
[Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, revised 2009]
[Yeide 2009, 243, No. A92]

  • 1939 on the art market in Berlin, 09.02.1939 acquired by W. A. Hofer (Berlin) for 14000 RM from Dr. E. Plietzsch (Berlin) and given to Hermann Göring
    [Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, revised 2009]
    [Yeide 2009, 243, No. A92]
  • Inventory-No. Göring Collection: RM90
  • MCCP (Munich Central Collecting Point) Nummer 7384
    [Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, revised 2009]
    [Yeide 2009, 243, No. A92]
  • 20.04.1949 acquired by the prime minister (Ministerpräsident)
    [Yeide 2009, 243, No. A92]
  • 1961 transferred from the trust management, transfer list No. 241
    [Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, revised 2009]
  • 18.05.1961 transferred from State property
    [Exhib. Cat. Aschaffenburg 2007, 321, No. 68]
    [Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, revised 2009]
    [Yeide 2009, 243, No. A92]
  • Staatsgalerie 1st floor, room 7
    [Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, revised 2009]

See also Göring Collection in the DHM-database:
http://www.dhm.de/datenbank/goering/dhm_goering.php?seite=5&fld_0=RMG00517

See also the entry in the Lost Art-database, Stiftung Deutsches Zentrum für Kulturgutverluste: Lost Art-ID 391056; http://www.lostart.de/DE/Fund/391056 (accessed 17 Dec. 2019).

Exhibitions

Aschaffenburg 2007, No. 68

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Exhib. Cat. Munich 2011 148 No. 13258
AuthorMartin Schawe
EditorBayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
TitleCranach in Bayern
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2011
Show Literature
Yeide 2009 243 A92
AuthorNancy H. Yeide
TitleBeyond the Dreams of Avarice. The Hermann Goering Collection
Place of PublicationDallas
Year of Publication2009
Show Literature
Exhib. Cat. Aschaffenburg 2007 321-323 No. 68 Fig. p. 322
EditorGerhard Ermischer, Andreas Tacke
TitleCranach im Exil. Aschaffenburg um 1540. Zuflucht - Schatzkammer - Residenz. Ausstellungskatalog Schloss Johannisburg und Kunsthalle Jesuitenkirche
Place of PublicationRegensburg
Year of Publication2007
Show Literature
Bierende 2002
AuthorEdgar Bierende
TitleLucas Cranach d.Ä. und der deutsche Humanismus. Tafelmalerei im Kontext von Rhetorik, Chroniken und Fürstenspiegeln
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication2002
Show Literature
Follak 2002
AuthorJan Follak
TitleLucretia zwischen positiver und negativer Anthropologie: Coluccio Salutatis Declamatio Lucretie und die Menschenbilder im exemplum der Lucretia von der Antike bis in die Neuzeit
Place of PublicationKonstanz
Year of Publication2002
Link http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:352-opus-9144
Show Literature
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979 118 No. 240G
AuthorMax J. Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg
EditorG. Schwartz
TitleDie Gemälde von Lucas Cranach
Place of PublicationBasel, Boston, Stuttgart
Year of Publication1979
Show Literature
Cat. Aschaffenburg 1964 No. 13258
AuthorErnst Brochhagen, Gisela Goldberg, Christian A. zu Salm
EditorBayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
TitleGalerie Aschaffenburg Katalog
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication1964
Show Literature
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1932 66 198i
AuthorMax J. Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg
TitleDie Gemälde von Lucas Cranach
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1932
Link http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/friedlaender1932
Show Literature

Research History / Discussion

The paintings listed by Friedländer 1979 as 240F and 240G could be one and the same. The dimensions, the title and the description of a 'dancing maenad' for 240F accord with the illustration and specifications in the catalogue of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlung. The inventory also refers to 240G. The inventory number of this painting (13258) is by contrast listed by Friedländer under No. 240F. There is also a reference to the Staatsgalerie Aschaffenburg as well as an attribution to an anonymous pupil of Cranach the Elder. This information is also published in the catalogue of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlung .

[Herrschaft, CDA 2010]

The painting is one of a series of nude representations of Lucretia as a three-quarter length figure, which were produced between 1526 and 1537, eg.: FR235, FR236

[Herrschaft, CDA 2010]

  • The Suicide of Lucretia, 1526 - 1537

Images

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Technical studies

06. 2012Technical 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

Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author
<author's name>, 'The Suicide of Lucretia', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_BStGS_13258/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author
'The Suicide of Lucretia', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document, entry or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_BStGS_13258/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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