Portrait of a Lady

The panel shows a half-length portrait of a young woman in courtly attire. She is seated on the right, facing left and wearing a red dress trimmed with gold. Her hands are folded in her lap and her hair is tied back under an embroidered snood. Her outfit is completed with a choker and a large linked chain worn around her neck. A window on the left reveals a view of a mountainous landscape with a solitary tree. Over several decades Cranach and his workshop painted a large number of similar portraits of young women in lavish costume, which may have been embodiments of female charm and allure, rather than specific likenesses. This painting is very similar to a slightly larger version in Coburg [DE_KSVC_M163] and may either be a copy after it or a prototype common to both.

[cda 2020]