Lucretia

Lucretia

Title

Lucretia

[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, No. 236]

Painting on wood

Medium

Painting on wood

[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, No. 236]

The painting depicts Lucretia as a half-length standing nude against a dark background. Her face expresses sufferance and is inclined slightly to one side. She looks at the viewer. In her right hand she holds a long dagger with the tip pointed towards herself. She wears nothing other than a

The painting depicts Lucretia as a half-length standing nude against a dark background. Her face expresses sufferance and is inclined slightly to one side. She looks at the viewer. In her right hand she holds a long dagger with the tip pointed towards herself. She wears nothing other than a thin transparent head veil and thin choker.

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]

[Herrschaft, cda 2016]

Attribution
Lucas Cranach the Elder

Attribution

Lucas Cranach the Elder

[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, No. 236]

Production dates
1529
1528

Production dates

1529

[dated]

1528

[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, No. 236] (seems to be a typing error)

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 56.5 x 38 cm

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 56.5 x 38 cm

  • [Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, No. 236]

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia bottom left: serpent with elevated wings and dated '1529'

Signature / Dating

  • Artist's insignia bottom left: serpent with elevated wings and dated '1529'

Owner
Private Collection
Repository
Private Collection
CDA ID
PRIVATE_NONE-P122
FR (1978) Nr.
FR236
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/PRIVATE_NONE-P122/

Provenance

  • 1929 Dresden, P. Rusch
  • 1932 Gera, Dr. G. Hirsch Collection
  • 1975 Munich, private collection
    [Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979, No. 236]
  • E. V. Thaw & Co., Inc., New York
  • 03.1976 Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virginia
  • 01.06.1989 auctioned at Sotheby`s New York, Lot 14
    [page of an Auct.Cat. Sotheby¿s New York in the Archive D. Koepplin, 1989]

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979 117 236 236
AuthorMax J. Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg
EditorG. Schwartz
TitleDie Gemälde von Lucas Cranach
Place of PublicationBasel, Boston, Stuttgart
Year of Publication1979
Show Literature
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1932 195
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
  • Lucretia, 1529

Images

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Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author
<author's name>, 'Lucretia', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/PRIVATE_NONE-P122/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author
'Lucretia', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document, entry or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/PRIVATE_NONE-P122/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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