Attributed to Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515-86)
Virgin and Christ Child Signed and dated 1547
Oil on panel | 20.8 x 15.2 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 407818
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There are fifteen paintings in the collection associated with the name Lucas Cranach (I and II); one was acquired in the 17th Century, one in the 18th Century and the remainder in the 19th Century. Prince Albert particularly admired Cranach, acquiring ten works, partly as an example of early German art and partly as the court painter to his ancestors.
This painting of the Virgin and Child derives from a popular Madonna type, often copied in the Alpine regions in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. However, the artist possibly also drew inspiration from the works of Raphael, which he may have known in the form of prints, as the painting contains elements of classicism.
The work is possibly by Lucas Cranach the Younger, who worked closely with his father in their studio, but it is often difficult to distinguish between works by Cranach the Elder and those of his sons and their studio.Provenance
Purchased by Prince Albert, Christie's, 1854
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on panel
Measurements
20.8 x 15.2 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)