Portrait of a Woman
Historical Context
Dated 1522, this Portrait of a Woman exemplifies Cranach’s established format for female portraiture during his mature Wittenberg period. The sitter is shown in three-quarter view against a plain background, wearing the fashionable dress and jewelry of a prosperous Saxon woman. The year 1522 was significant in Wittenberg—Luther had recently returned from his stay at the Wartburg, and the city was at the center of the Reformation movement. Cranach’s female portraits from this period display his refined technique in rendering fabrics and metalwork, while the sitters’ direct gazes convey an individuality that distinguishes his best portraits from the more formulaic workshop production.
Technical Analysis
The portrait on panel shows careful attention to the sitter's individual features and the detailed rendering of her headdress and costume. Cranach's handling balances naturalistic observation with his characteristic precise, linear technique.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the woman's headdress: the specific structure of the folded and pinned fabric is characteristic of Saxon court fashion circa 1522, making the portrait datable by dress alone.
- ◆Look at her direct gaze — Cranach's female portrait sitters often meet the viewer's eye with a composed self-possession that distinguishes his women from the more demure types of other German masters.
- ◆Observe the careful differentiation between the textures of her fabric and the metalwork of her jewelry — Cranach consistently demonstrates his ability to render different material surfaces.
- ◆The year 1522 appears on the painting: Cranach habitually dated his works, giving us an unusually precise chronological record of his output.
Provenance
Dr. Friedrich Campe [1777-1846], Nuremberg, by 1844.[1] Bernhard von Lindenau [1845-1920], Altenburg; by inheritance to his niece, Mrs. von Watzdorf-Bachoff, Altenburg.[2] (Paul Cassirer, Berlin, by 1921).[3] Private collection, possibly von der Heydt.[4] August and Serena Lederer, Vienna, possibly by 1923, but certainly before 1932;[5] Lederer family; sold by 1954 to (Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc., New York); purchased January 1954 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[6] gift 1959 to NGA. [1] The 1995 NGA systematic catalogue entry on the painting stated that it was only possibly owned by Dr. Campe. Although Joseph Heller, _Das Leben und die Werke Lucas Cranach's_ (Bamberg, 1844), 89, lists "Ein männliches und ein weibliches Brustbild, bezeichnet mit 1522 und der Schlange" as belonging to the art and book dealer Dr. Friedrich Campe of Nuremberg, the painting is not mentioned in other descriptions of the collection, such as Ritter C. Heideloff, _Verzeichniss der Friedrich Campe'schen Sammlung von Oelgemälden und geschmeltzen Glasmalereien_, (Nuremberg, 1847). However, correspondence from Dr. Dieter Gleisberg (letters of 27 July and 1 November 1999, in NGA curatorial files) does confirm Campe's ownership and provides his life dates. [2] H.-C. v.d. Gabelentz, Director, Staatliche Lindenau Museum, Altenburg, letter of 19 July 1968 to Dr. Ilse Franke, Munich, in curatorial files. As Gabelentz notes in his letter, Bernhard von Lindenau ordered all his papers destroyed after his death, so it is not possible to determine, for example, when he acquired the painting. [3] Karl Scheffler. "Kunstausstellungen." _Kunst und Künstler_ 19 (1921), 298, cites the painting as being with Cassirer. Gabelentz, letter of 19 July 1968 cited above, says that Mrs. von Watzdorf-Bachoff sold the portrait to Cassirer. [4] Not verified. Gabelentz, letter of 19 July 1968, cited in note 2, states that the portrait was in the von der Heydt collection, but it has not been possible to locate it in any catalogues associated with the name von der Heydt. [5] Curt Glaser. _Lukas Cranach_. (Leipzig, 1923), 179, reproduces the portrait as being in a private collection, Vienna; this is not included in the 1921 edition. Scheffler 1921, 298, reports only that the portrait went from Cassirer into a private collection and so it is possible, although not verified, that Lederer owned it as early as 1921. Max J. Friedländer and Jakob Rosenberg. _Die Gemälde von Lucas Cranach_. (Berlin, 1932), 53-54, nos. 123-124 (Rev. ed. _The Paintings of Lucas Cranach_. Amsterdam, 1978, 99, nos. 145-146, repro.), are the first to mention Lederer as owner. This painting was confiscated by the Nazis in 1938 with others in the Lederer collection. It was discovered in the Alt Aussee salt mine after the war and restituted to the Austrian government in 1947. [Receipt for objects of Austrian origin, dated 14 July 1947, item no. 841, National Archives RG 260/USACA/Box 1, copy in NGA curatorial files.] According to a letter dated 10 April 1987 from Gerald G. Stiebel to John Hand, in NGA curatorial files, this and 1959.9.2 were acquired from the Lederer family by the firm of Rosenberg & Stiebel, who sold the paintings to the Kress Foundation in 1954. [6] Invoice of 29 January 1954 and letter of 30 January 1954 from Saemy Rosenberg to John Walker in NGA curatorial files. See also The Kress Collection Digital Archive, https://kress.nga.gov/Detail/objects/1714.
