The Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth

Title

The Fountain of Youth

[CDA 2010]

Painting on limewood

Medium

Painting on limewood

[Gemäldegalerie, revised 2010]

The scene is set in a rocky landscape. A pool with a fountain and a statue of Venus and Cupid occupies the middle foreground. Old women are carried to the water from to left side of the image and a miracle enables them to emerge on the other side visibly

The scene is set in a rocky landscape. A pool with a fountain and a statue of Venus and Cupid occupies the middle foreground. Old women are carried to the water from to left side of the image and a miracle enables them to emerge on the other side visibly younger. They are adorned in a tent and amuse themselves on a meadow with flowers, dancing and dining in the company of knights.

[Gemäldegalerie Berlin, Unsinn 2010]

Attributions
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Younger

Attributions

Lucas Cranach the Elder

[Gemäldegalerie, revised 2010]

Lucas Cranach the Younger

[Exhib. Cat. Basel 1974, 420, No. 287]
[Hartlaub, 1958]
[Exhib. Cat. Berlin 1937, 47, No. 129]

Production date
1546

Production date

1546

[dated]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 120.6 x 186.1 cm

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 120.6 x 186.1 cm

  • Dimensions including frame: 148.5 x 211.5 cm

  • [Gemäldegalerie, revised 2010]

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia bottom centre: winged serpent with dropped wings and dated '1546'.

Signature / Dating

  • Artist's insignia bottom centre: winged serpent with dropped wings and dated '1546'.

Inscriptions and Labels

Reverse of the panel: - centre:
handwritten in white chalk: '539.'

  • right of the centre:
    handwritten in white chalk: '593'
  • below …

Inscriptions and Labels

Stamps, Seals, Labels:

  • Reverse of the panel: - centre:

  • handwritten in white chalk: '539.'

    • right of the centre:
  • handwritten in white chalk: '593'

    • below the centre, far right:
  • black stamp:'I. 659' and seal of the Royal castles.

    • bottom, right:
  • label: 'Staatliche Museen Berlin - Gemäldegalerie/ Katalog-Nr. 593/ Lucas Cranach d. Ä./ Der Jungbrunnen'

  • [Gemäldegalerie, revised 2010]

Owner
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie
Repository
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie
Location
Berlin
CDA ID
DE_smbGG_593
FR (1978) Nr.
FR407
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_smbGG_593/

Provenance

  • acquired from the Royal Castles' Collection (Königliche Schlösser)

[Gemäldegalerie, revised 2010]

Exhibitions

Berlin 1937, 47, No. 129
Weimar, Wittenberg 1953, No. 96
Berlin 1973, No. 15
Basel 1974, 420
Berlin, Brandenburg 2009, 73-79

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Hoppe-Harnoncourt 2015 155, Fn. 4, 5
AuthorAlice Hoppe-Harnoncourt
TitleLucas Cranach der Jüngere? Überlegungen zu zwei datierten Werken aus dem Kunsthistorischen Museum in Wien
Publicationin Elke A. Werner, Anne Eusterschulte, Gunnar Heydenreich, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Pages154-167
Sandner, Heydenreich, Smith-Contini 2015 136, Fn. 66
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
Waterman 2015 286, Fn. 39
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
Exhib. Cat. Berlin 2009 A 73-79
EditorStiftung Preussische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg
TitleCranach und die Kunst der Renaissance unter den Hohenzollern. Kirche, Hof und Stadtkultur
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication2009
Warnke 2009 72-79 Figs. 1, 2, 7
AuthorMartin Warnke
TitleCranachs "Wiedererwachsung". Bemerkungen zum Berliner "Jungbrunnen"
Publicationin Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg, Evangelische Kirchengemeinde St. Petri-St. Marien, eds., Cranach und die Kunst der Renaissance unter den Hohenzollern: Kirche, Hof und Stadtkultur Exhib. Cat. Berlin
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication2009
Pages72-79
Heydenreich 2007 A 180, 402
AuthorGunnar Heydenreich
TitleLucas Cranach the Elder
Place of PublicationAmsterdam
Year of Publication2007
Link https://lucascranach.org/application/files/6116/2097/3099/Heydenreich_2007_Lucas_Cranach_the_Elder.pdf
Schade 2003 20
AuthorWerner Schade
TitleBildhaftigkeit bei Cranach
Publicationin Heiz Spielmann, Werner Schade, eds., Lucas Cranach Glaube Mythologie und Maderne , Exhib. Cat. Hamburg 2003
Place of PublicationOstfildern-Ruit
Year of Publication2003
Pages12-21
Cat. Berlin 1998 92f.
AuthorHenning Bock
EditorStaatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie
TitleGemäldegalerie Berlin: 200 Meisterwerke
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1998
Franke, Schade-Thole 1998 197ff.
AuthorBirgit Franke, Sigrid Schade-Tholen
TitleJungbrunnen und andere 'Erneuerungsbäder' im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert
Publicationin Richard van Dülmen, ed., Erfindung des Menschen - Schöpfungsträume und Körperbilder - 1500-2000 Exhib. Cat. Vienna, Cologne, Weimar
Place of PublicationVienna
Year of Publication1998
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
Cat. Berlin 1996 34 Fig. 66
AuthorRainald Grosshans, Henning Bock
EditorStaatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie
TitleGemäldegalerie Berlin. Gesamtverzeichnis
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1996
Grimm 1994 36
AuthorClaus Grimm
TitleLucas Cranach 1994
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, Regensburg
Year of Publication1994
Pages18-43
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979 152 No. 407 Fig. 407
AuthorMax J. Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg
EditorG. Schwartz
TitleDie Gemälde von Lucas Cranach
Place of PublicationBasel, Boston, Stuttgart
Year of Publication1979
Rapp 1976
AuthorAnna Rapp
TitleDer Jungbrunnen in Literatur und bildender Kunst des Mittelalters
Place of PublicationZurich
Year of Publication1976
Exhib. Cat. Basel 1974/1976 26. 419, 633, Fig. 234
AuthorDieter Koepplin, Tilman Falk
TitleLukas Cranach. Gemälde, Zeichnungen und Druckgraphik
Volume1, 2
Place of PublicationBasel, Stuttgart
Year of Publication1974
Link http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-diglit-104522
Schade 1974 Plates 182, 183
AuthorWerner Schade
TitleDie Malerfamilie Cranach
Place of PublicationDresden
Year of Publication1974
Link http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/schade1974
Exhib. Cat. Berlin 1973 No. 15
AuthorWilhelm H. Köhler, Frank Steigerwald
TitleLucas Cranach. Gemälde, Zeichnungen, Druckgraphik
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1973
Ruhmer 1963 Plates 46-47
AuthorEberhard Ruhmer
TitleCranach
Place of PublicationCologne
Year of Publication1963
Hartlaub 1958
AuthorGustav Friedrich Hartlaub
TitleLucas Cranach d.J. : der Jungbrunnen
Place of PublicationStuttgart
Year of Publication1958
Exhib. Cat. Weimar, Wittenberg 1953 No. 93
AuthorWalther Scheidig
EditorDeutsche Lucas Cranach Komitee
TitleLucas Cranach Ausstellung. Weimar und Wittenberg
Place of PublicationWeimar, Wittenberg
Year of Publication1953
Lüdecke 1953 B 74 Fig. 88
AuthorHeinz Lüdecke
TitleLucas Cranach der Ältere. Der Künstler und seine Zeit
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1953
Lilienfein 1942 86 Plate 23, Fig. 133
AuthorHeinrich Lilienfein
TitleLukas Cranach und seine Zeit
Place of PublicationBielefeld
Year of Publication1942
Exhib. Cat. Berlin 1937 47 129 Pl. 91
EditorStaatliche Museen, Berlin
TitleLucas Cranach d. Ä. und Lucas Cranach d. J. Gemälde, Zeichnungen, Graphik
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1937
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1932 327
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
Flechsig 1900 A 13
AuthorEduard Flechsig
TitleCranachstudien
Volume1
Place of PublicationLeipzig
Year of Publication1900
Link page/n5/mode/2up
Sachs 1893 321-323
AuthorHans Sachs
EditorEdmund Goetze
TitleSämtliche Fabeln und Schwänke von Hans Sachs
Volume1
Place of PublicationHalle
Year of Publication1893
Schuchardt 1851 C 18-19 23
AuthorChristian Schuchardt
TitleLucas Cranach des Aeltern Leben und Werke. Zweiter Theil
Place of PublicationLeipzig
Year of Publication1851
Link http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/schuchardt1851bd2
  • The Fountain of Youth, 1546

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Technical studies

02. 2010Technical 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

12. 1977Technical examination / Scientific analysis

  • UV-light photography
  • photographed by Fotowerkstatt, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

01.11.1977Technical examination / Scientific analysis

  • Infrared photography
  • photographed by Fotowerkstatt, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
  • X-radiography
  • x_radiograph
  • x_radiograph
  • x_radiograph
  • x_radiograph
  • x_radiograph
  • created by Fotowerkstatt, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author
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Entry with no author
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