Epitaph-altarpiece of Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous in the Weimar parish church St. Peter and Paul [right wing]

Epitaph-altarpiece of Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous in the Weimar parish church St. Peter and Paul [right wing]

Titles

Epitaph-altarpiece of Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous in the Weimar parish church St. Peter and Paul [right wing]

[Schulze 2004, 104]

The crucifixion with the allegory of salvation [right wing]

[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, 158, No. 434]

Painting on limewood

Medium

Painting on limewood

[Görres 2007, 22]

The inner side of the wing panel depicts Elector Johann Friedrich I. of Saxony on the left and his wife Sibylle of Cleve on the right with their sons Johann Friedrich the Middle (der Mittlere), Johann Wilhelm and Johann Friedrich the Younger who commissioned the altarpiece. All five figures are

The inner side of the wing panel depicts Elector Johann Friedrich I. of Saxony on the left and his wife Sibylle of Cleve on the right with their sons Johann Friedrich the Middle (der Mittlere), Johann Wilhelm and Johann Friedrich the Younger who commissioned the altarpiece. All five figures are depicted kneeling on prayer stools wearing the same sumptuous black clothing with gold decoration and fur lining. The mother also wears a fur trimmed bonnet and a book lies open on the lectern in front of her. The other family members have put their black feathered head attire on their prayer stools. Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous, Johann Friedrich the Middle and Johann Friedrich the Younger look out of the painting, whereas Sibylle of Cleve and Johann Wilhelm look towards the central panel. The black throws covering the prayer stools are decorated with a gold-black border with different motifs. On the left flap there is the coat-of-arms of the Houses of Saxony and Cleve and on the right flaps these are combined to create the coat-of-arms of the sons. The coats-of-arms are depicted three-dimensionally and arranged parallel to the picture plane, whereas the prayer stool is positioned at an angle giving the impression that the coats-of-arms are not part of the pictorial reality. A floor with beige and red marble tiles extends across both wings. Similarly a gold-black brocade curtain hangs across the background of both wings. It is decorated horizontally with two alternating motifs showing variants of a vase with flowers between an organic braid band. The curtain consists of two layers: on the left wing the front layer hangs over a rope stretched horizontally across the panel so that the letters 'VDMIÆ' on the border of the curtain are visible above the heads of the royal couple and on the right wing it is simply folded to the side.

When the altarpiece is closed the left wing shows the Baptism of Christ by St John. Jesus stands knee deep in the river Jordan, the ends of his loincloth float in the water, his arms are folded in front of his chest and he looks out of the painting. St John kneels behind him on the banks of the river with his left hand on Jesus' shoulder and with his right hand he pours the baptism water over his head. St John wears a fur robe in a reddish brown tone, and he is fully concentrated on the baptismal act. God the Father appears in the upper third of the painting surrounded by a cloud with winged angel heads and with a sign from a finger of his right hand he sends out the Holy Spirit as a dove. The dove floats down to earth with outspread wings in a similar aureole. The landscape is characterized by rich flora and is animated by a herd of deer in the background. The sun baths the rocky outcrop on the horizon in yellow light and at the same time illuminates the heads of St John and Jesus from behind.

The exterior of the right wing shows Christ in the familiar aureole ascending to heaven. There is a star-shaped nimbus around his head, he wears the red cloak and holds the victory banner, which this time only has a transparent shaft. His feet hover just above a grassy hill, where their marks are still visible. The event is encircled by a group of 26 tightly crowded figures, some only partially indicated with heads. Two of them are in the foreground with their backs facing towards us. They all appear to have fallen on their knees and look full of amazement and awe. The only exception is a young man with a short moustache, who looks at the viewer.

[Görres 2006, 10-11]

Attributions
Lucas Cranach the Younger
Lucas Cranach the Elder

Attributions

Lucas Cranach the Younger

[Böhlitz 2007, 294]
[Schulze 2004, 104]
[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, 158, No. 434]
'Cranachs Zusammenarbeit mit seinem Sohn in untrennbarer Werkgemeinschaft [...]' [Thulin 1955, 54] [Exhib. Cat. Berlin 1937, no. 137]

Lucas Cranach the Elder

"Cranachs Zusammenarbeit mit seinem Sohn in untrennbarer Werkgemeinschaft [...]" [Thulin 1955, 54]

Production date
1555
Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 370 x 146 cm

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 370 x 146 cm

  • [Görres 2007, 23]

Owner
Ev.-Luth. Kirchgemeinde St. Peter und Paul, Weimar
Repository
Ev.-Luth. Kirchgemeinde St. Peter und Paul, Weimar
Location
Weimar
CDA ID
DE_PPW_NONE-PPW001C
FR (1978) Nr.
FR434
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_PPW_NONE-PPW001C/

Exhibitions

Berlin 1937, no. 137

Literature

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Year of Publication2018
Pages209-228
Görres 2017 B 50 Fig. 6
AuthorDaniel Görres
TitleDer Mönch und der Maler - Luther und Cranach als Vermittler eines neuen Glaubens
Publicationin Gunnar Heydenreich, Daniel Görres, Beat Wismer, eds., Lucas Cranach der Ältere. Meister - Marke - Moderne. [Exhib. Cat. Düsseldorf 2017]
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2017
Link https://lucascranach.org/application/files/4016/7870/1696/Goerres_2017_Der_Moench_und_der_Maler.pdf
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Heydenreich 2017 A 75
AuthorGunnar Heydenreich
TitleCranach? Fragen der Zuschreibung im Lichte kunsttechnologischer Untersuchungen
Publicationin Gunnar Heydenreich, Daniel Görres, Beat Wismer, eds., Lucas Cranach der Ältere. Meister - Marke - Moderne. [Exhib. Cat. Düsseldorf 2017]
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2017
Link https://lucascranach.org/application/files/7316/7870/1704/Heydenreich_2017_Cranach_Fragen_der_Zuschreibung.pdf
Pages72-81
Bonnet, Görres 2015 74-77 26 p. 74, 77
AuthorAnne-Marie Bonnet, Daniel Görres
TitleLucas Cranach d. Ä. - Maler der Deutschen Renaissance
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Exhib. Cat. Weimar 2015 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 25, 36, 38, 40-42, 46, 53, 54, 62, 63, 74, 88, 111
EditorWolfgang Holler, Karin Kolb
TitleCranach in Weimar, [Weimar, Schiller-Museum, 3 April - 14 June 2015]
Place of PublicationDresden
Year of Publication2015
Görres 2015 A 245-247, 253, 254 Fig. 1
AuthorDaniel Görres
TitleVon Fürsten und Bürgern, Theologen und Malern. Repräsentation und Memoria in Bildprogrammen Cranachs des Jüngeren
Publicationin, Elke A. Werner, Anne Eusterschulte, Gunnar Heydenreich, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Link https://lucascranach.org/application/files/4615/6232/3882/Goerres_2015_-_Fuersten_und_Buerger.pdf
Pages141-151
Görres 2015 B
AuthorDaniel Görres
TitleCranach, Luther und die Ernestiner. Der Epitaphaltar der Stadtkirche St. Peter und Paul in Weimar
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Place of PublicationGöttingen
Year of Publication2015
Pages37-53
Görres et al. 2015 245-247, 253, 254 Fig. 1
AuthorDaniel Görres, Gunnar Heydenreich, Jana Herrschaft
TitleDie Werkstatt Cranachs des Jüngeren
Publicationin R. Enke, K. Schneider, J. Strehle, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere. Entdeckung eines Meisters
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Link https://lucascranach.org/application/files/7116/2097/3065/Heydenreich_Goerres_Herrschaft_2015_Die_Werkstatt_Cranachs_des_Juengeren.pdf
Pages64-77
Heydenreich et al. 2015
AuthorGunnar Heydenreich, Ingo Sandner, Helen Smith-Contini
TitleDer Streit um die Autorenschaft. Das Weimarer Cranach-Retabel im Lichte technologischer Untersuchungen
Publicationin, Franziska Bomski, Hellmut Th. Seemann, Thorsten Valk, eds., Bild und Bekenntnis. Die Cranach-Werkstatt in Weimar
SeriesJahrbuch der Klassik Stiftung Weimar, Weimar
Place of PublicationWeimar
Year of Publication2015
Pages193-204
Lücke 2015 36, Fn. 39-41
AuthorMonika Lücke
TitleLucas Cranach der Jüngere als Unternehmer
Publicationin Elke A. Werner, Anne Eusterschulte, Gunnar Heydenreich, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Pages30-41
Noble 2015 295
AuthorBonnie Noble
TitleThe Woman of Babylon. Seduction Reformation-Style
Publicationin Elke A. Werner, Anne Eusterschulte, Gunnar Heydenreich, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Pages290-297
Sandner, Heydenreich, Smith-Contini 2015 138, Fn. 76
AuthorGunnar Heydenreich, Ingo Sandner, Helen Smith-Contini
TitleVeränderungen beim Unterzeichnen in Cranachs Werkstatt und die Arbeitsweise von Sohn Lucas
Publicationin Elke A. Werner, Anne Eusterschulte, Gunnar Heydenreich, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Link https://lucascranach.org/application/files/5215/6337/7366/Heydenreich_Sandner_Smith-Contini_2015_-_Unterzeichnung.pdf
Pages128-141
Sitt, Monsees 2015 316
AuthorMartina Sitt, Désirée Monsees
TitleDer einsame Christus am Kreuz - ein Bildtypus von Cranach dem Jüngeren in der pro-reformatorischen, bildlichen Argumentation
Publicationin Elke A. Werner, Anne Eusterschulte, Gunnar Heydenreich, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Pages308-317
Trümper 2015 26-28 Fig. 11
AuthorTimo Trümper
TitleInszenierungsstrategien der Ernestiner
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
Pages17-28
Waterman 2015 283, 285, Fn. 25
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
Werner 2015 9, 10, 11, 12, 14
AuthorElke Anna Werner
TitleLucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder. Zur Einführung
Publicationin Elke A. Werner, Anne Eusterschulte, Gunnar Heydenreich, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Pages8-16
Bonnet, Kopp-Schmidt, Görres 2010 186-189 26
AuthorAnne-Marie Bonnet, Gabriele Kopp-Schmidt, Daniel Görres
TitleDie Malerei der deutschen Renaissance
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2010
Noble 2009
AuthorBonnie Noble
TitleLucas Cranach the Elder. Art and Devotion of the German Reformation
Place of PublicationLanham
Year of Publication2009
Böhlitz 2007
AuthorMichael Böhlitz
TitleDer Weimarer Cranachaltar im Kontext von Religion und Geschichte: ein ernestinisches Denkmal der Reformation
Publicationin Andreas Tacke, ed., Lucas Cranach 1553/2003. Wittenberger Tagungsbeiträge anlässlich des 450. Todesjahres Lucas Cranach des Älteren
SeriesSchriften der Stiftung Luthergedenkstätten in Sachsen-Anhalt
Volume7
Place of PublicationLeipzig
Year of Publication2007
Pages277-298
Görres 2007
AuthorDaniel Görres
TitleDer Cranach-Altar der Stadtkirche St. Peter und Paul in Weimar und sein Betrachter. Eine Studie zum Medium "Bild" im Kontext der Reformation
Publicationin Deubner-Preis 2006. Sonderdruck aus den Kunsthistorischen Arbeitsblättern (KAb)
Place of PublicationCologne
Year of Publication2007
Pages19-34
Görres 2006
AuthorDaniel Görres
TitleDer Cranach-Altar der Stadtkirche St. Peter und Paul in Weimar und die Mediation des Glaubens [Thesis]
Place of PublicationBonn
Year of Publication2006
Böhlitz 2005 33
AuthorMichael Böhlitz
TitleAltargemälde von Lucas Cranach dem Älteren, Lucas Cranach dem Jüngeren und ihren Schülern im Chemnitzer Raum
Publicationin Harald Marx, Ingrid Mössinger, Karin Kolb, ed., Cranach. Exhib. Cat. Chemnitz
Place of PublicationCologne
Year of Publication2005
Pages18-43
Exhib. Cat. Prague 2005 146 (English version 54) under no. 43
EditorObrazárna Pražského hradu, Kaliopi Chamonikola
TitlePod znamením okrídleného hada. Lucas Cranach a ceské zeme. Under the winged Serpent. Lucas Cranach and the Czech Land
Place of PublicationPrague
Year of Publication2005
Schulze 2004 104-111
AuthorIngrid Schulze
TitleLucas Cranach d. J. und die protestantische Bildkunst in Sachsen und Thüringen. Frömmigkeit, Theologie, Fürstenreformation
Place of PublicationBucha near Jena
Year of Publication2004
Noble 1999 138-162
AuthorBonnie Noble
TitleThe Lutheran Paintings of the Cranach Workshop, 1529-1555
Place of PublicationAnn Arbor
Year of Publication1999
Schuchardt 1998 B 13
AuthorGünter Schuchardt
Title"Ich hätt euch viel zu schreiben, hab aber viel zu schaffen." Lucas Cranach d. Ä. und seine Wittenberger Werkstatt.
Publicationin Ingo Sandner, Wartburg-Stiftung Eisenach and Fachhochschule Köln, eds., Unsichtbare Meisterzeichnungen auf dem Malgrund. Cranach und seine Zeitgenossen, Exhib. Cat. Eisenach
Place of PublicationRegensburg
Year of Publication1998
Pages11-18
Büttner 1994
AuthorFrank Büttner
Title"Argumentatio" in Bildern der Reformationszeit. Ein Beitrag zur Bestimmung argumentativer Strukturen in der Bildkunst
JournalZeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte
Issue57
Year of Publication1994
Link http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/artdok/volltexte/2010/938
Pages23-44
Sandner, Ritschel 1994 189
AuthorIngo Sandner, Iris Ritschel
TitleArbeitsweise und Maltechnik Lucas Cranachs und seiner Werkstatt
Publicationin Claus Grimm, Johannes Erichsen, Evamaria Brockhoff, eds., Lucas Cranach. Ein Maler-Unternehmer aus Franken, Exhib. Cat. Kronach 1994
SeriesVeröffentlichungen zur bayerischen Geschichte und Kultur
Volume26
Place of PublicationAugsburg, Coburg
Year of Publication1994
Pages186-193
Schade, Schuttwolf 1994 21
AuthorWerner Schade, Allmuth Schuttwolf
TitleMalerei und Plastik
Publicationin Allmuth Schuttwolf, ed., Gotteswort und Menschenbild. Werke von Cranach und seinen Zeitgenossen, Exhib. Cat. Gotha
Place of PublicationGotha
Year of Publication1994
Pages15-94
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979
AuthorMax J. Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg
EditorG. Schwartz
TitleDie Gemälde von Lucas Cranach
Place of PublicationBasel, Boston, Stuttgart
Year of Publication1979
Schade 1968 B 66-67
AuthorWerner Schade
TitleDie Epitaphbilder Lucas Cranach d. J.
Publicationin Bozena Steinborn, ed., Ze Studiów nad Sztuka XVI Wieku na Slasku i w Krajach Sasiednich(Materialy z konferencji urzadzonej przez Muzeum Slaskie we Wroclaw 10 i 17 grudnia 1966 roku)
Place of PublicationBreslau
Year of Publication1968
Pages63-76
Thulin 1955
AuthorOskar Thulin
TitleCranach-Altäre der Reformation
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1955
Jursch 1953 158 434
AuthorHanna Jursch
TitleDer Cranach-Altar in der Stadtkirche zu Weimar
JournalWissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Year of Publication1953
Pages69-80
Justi 1951
AuthorLudwig Justi
TitleDas große dreiteilige Gemälde aus der Herderkirche zu Weimar
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1951
Exhib. Cat. Berlin 1937 49, 50 137 Pl. 105
EditorStaatliche Museen, Berlin
TitleLucas Cranach d. Ä. und Lucas Cranach d. J. Gemälde, Zeichnungen, Graphik
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1937
Meyer 1813
AuthorHeinrich Meyer
TitleÜber die Altar-Gemälde von Lucas Cranach in der Stadt-Kirche zu Weimar
Place of PublicationWeimar
Year of Publication1813

Research History / Discussion

Abstract of Böhlitz 2007:

Michael Böhlitz examines the context of the assembly of the retable in the Church of St Peter and Paul with reference to documents and papers from the archives recording Church Visitors to Weimar in the years 1554 and 1555. He demonstrates that the recommendations by the Visitors to celebrate the service facing the community necessitated a freestanding altar and the installation of the retable on a separate pedestal - the situation we now find in Weimar. The inferred genesis of the work between mid 1554 and the end of 1555 suggests that Lucas Cranach the Younger and not his father designed and painted it.

According to Böhlitz the peculiarities in the iconographical program as well as the content and form of the inscription on the predella (now lost) can be explained by the function of the retable as an epitaph altar. Overlooking the double tomb of Johann Friedrich I. and his wife Sibylle von Cleve, which is located directly in front of the altar, it makes reference to the Ernestine burial place in the Schlosskirche of Wittenberg. The tomb and the retable are an expression of the ‚entitlement policy‘ ("Anspruchspolitik") (p. 295) of the new Duke Johann Friedrich II, who sought compensation for the loss of electorship and territory after the Schmalkaldic war, and the addition of the portraits of Cranach the Elder and Martin Luther can also be evaluated within this context.

[Görres, cda 2012]

Abstract of Görres 2007:

On the basis of considerations about the use of imagery by the Lutheran Church the commentary demonstrates how the relationship between the image and the viewer was structured in the case of the Weimar Retable by identifying and interrelating three levels of reception. The depictions of Martin Luther and Lucas Cranach the Elder can be contextualized on each of these levels and thereby show the intrinsic value of each level. Regarding the theological level the iconographical program of the central panel postulates a chain of prophecy extending from Luther to the present age of the contemporary viewer and through Luther’s close friend Cranach it presents a witness and prototype for the laity. Politically seen the Weimar Altar can be read with recourse to Luther as a disassociation from the teachings of the University of Wittenberg, which had since been lost to the Albertines. The Ernestines as long-standing employers of Luther lay claim to representing the absolute doctrine. Cranach, who had served them for decades, also appears as a herald of better times. Finally on the level of medial reception the commentary examines the intrinsic pictorial strategy with which the program of the retable assures a reception in accord with the Lutheran doctrine. Luther, likewise Cranach appear here as mediators of the Faith.

[Görres, cda 2012]

  • Epitaph-altarpiece of Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous in the Weimar parish church St. Peter and Paul [right wing], 1555

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