Lukretia

Title

Lukretia

[Kulturstiftung Dessau Wörlitz, revised 2012]

Painting on wood

Medium

Painting on wood

[Kulturstiftung Dessau Wörlitz, revised 2012]

The painting depicts Lucretia as a seated half-length figure in contemporary dress with contemporary accessories.

Lucretia's head is inclined slightly to the left, but her gaze is directed at the viewer. Her hair is pinned up. She wears a white undergarment revealing her chest and a fur-trimmed gown over her

The painting depicts Lucretia as a seated half-length figure in contemporary dress with contemporary accessories.

Lucretia's head is inclined slightly to the left, but her gaze is directed at the viewer. Her hair is pinned up. She wears a white undergarment revealing her chest and a fur-trimmed gown over her shoulders. Her left hand rests on her lap and she holds a long dagger in her right hand, which she has raised slightly.

She wears a chain with a pendant around her neck.

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: Copy after Lucas Cranach the Elder
Circle of Lucas Cranach the Elder

Attributions

Copy after Lucas Cranach the Elder	[Exhib. Cat. Basel 1974, 662, under No. 576]
Circle of Lucas Cranach the Elder	"Cranach-school" [Melzer, in Exhib. Cat. Chemnitz 2005, 54]

Production dates: about 1800 - 1899
about 1530

Production dates

about 1800 - 1899	"19. Jahrhundert " [Exhib. Cat. Basel 1974, 662, under No. 576]
about 1515	[Melzer 2015, 156]
about 1530	[Kulturstiftung Dessau Wörlitz, revised 2012]
after 1534	[Melzer, in Exhib. Cat. Chemnitz 2005, 54]

Dimensions: Dimensions of support: 82.4 x 61.3 x 1.2 cm

Dimensions

Dimensions of support: 82.4 x 61.3 x 1.2 cm
[cda 2015]

Signature / Dating: None

Owner: Kulturstiftung Dessau Wörlitz
Repository: Kulturstiftung Dessau Wörlitz, Gotisches Haus (The Gothic House)
Location: Wörlitz

CDA ID: DE_KsDW_I-55
FR (1978) Nr.: FR-none
Persistent Link: https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_KsDW_I-55/

Provenance

'Gothisches Haus' Wörlitz (old no. 2767)
[Melzer 2005, 54, 58 Fn. 30]

Literature

Reference on page

Catalogue Number

Figure / Plate

Exhib. Cat. Wörlitz 2015

116-117

Editor	Kulturstiftung Dessau Wörlitz
Editing	Wolfgang Savelsberg
Title	Cranach im Gotischen Haus in Wörlitz, [Wörlitz, Gotisches Haus, 15 May - 4 Oct. 2015]
Series	Kataloge und Schriften der Kulturstiftung Dessau Wörlitz
Volume	35
Place of Publication	Munich
Year of Publication	2015

Show Literature

Melzer 2015 B

156

Author	Reinhard Melzer
Title	Der Cranach-Bestand des Gotischen Hauses
Publication	in Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz, ed., Cranach im Gotischen Haus in Wörlitz, Exhib. Cat. Wörlitz
Place of Publication	Munich
Year of Publication	2015
Pages	149-162

Show Literature

Exhib. Cat. Chemnitz 2005

Editor	Harald Marx, Karin Kolb, Ingrid Mössinger
Title	Cranach Anlässlich der Ausstellung Cranach vom 13. November 2005 bis 12. März 2006 in den Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz. Eine Ausstellung in Kooperation mit der Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Place of Publication	Cologne
Year of Publication	2005

Show Literature

Melzer 2005

54, 58 Fn. 30

Author	Reinhard Melzer
Title	Cranach in Wörlitz. Das Gotische Haus als frühe Sammlungsstätte altdeutscher Malerei
Publication	in Harald Marx, Ingrid Mössinger, Karin Kolb, ed., Cranach. Exhib. Cat. Chemnitz
Place of Publication	Cologne
Year of Publication	2005
Pages	44-58

Show Literature

Exhib. Cat. Basel 1974/1976

662

576 (u.)

Author	Dieter Koepplin, Tilman Falk
Title	Lukas Cranach. Gemälde, Zeichnungen und Druckgraphik
Volume	1, 2
Place of Publication	Basel, Stuttgart
Year of Publication	1974
Link	http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-diglit-104522

Show Literature

Research History / Discussion

This painting is one of many copies after a ‘Lucretia’ by Lucas Cranach the Elder, which was created about 1510-13 and is in a private collection in Switzerland (FR42).

[Exhib. Cat. Basel 1974, 662, under No. 576]

Lukretia, about 1800 - 1899

Images

Technical studies

03. 2015Technical Examination

Support

- marks from a toothed-plane on the reverse of the panel

examined by Gunnar Heydenreich

03. 2015Technical examination / Scientific analysis

Infrared reflectography

Underdrawing

DESCRIPTION

- an underdrawing is not readily visible

[Sandner, Smith-Contini, Heydenreich, cda 2015]

photographed by Gunnar Heydenreich
photographed by Ingo Sandner

12. 2013Technical examination / Scientific analysis

UV-light photography

photographed by Heinz Fräßdorf

Versions

Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author: <author's name>, 'Lukretia', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_KsDW_I-55/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author: 'Lukretia', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document, entry or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_KsDW_I-55/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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