Portrait of Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg
Historical Context
Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg was among the most powerful — and most controversial — churchmen in Germany when Cranach portrayed him in 1526 for the Hermitage collection. Albert had purchased two archbishoprics simultaneously, incurring massive debts that he sought to repay through the sale of indulgences that directly provoked Luther's Ninety-Five Theses of 1517. By 1526 Albert remained a bulwark of German Catholicism even as the Reformation swept through Lutheran territories. That Cranach — by now deeply committed to Luther's circle, friend and godfather — would accept commissions from Albert demonstrates the pragmatic flexibility of his professional relationships. Albert was himself a great patron of Matthias Grünewald, commissioning the Isenheim Altarpiece program; his relationship with Cranach, Luther's painter, represents one of the Reformation era's most striking paradoxes. The Hermitage's small panel (40 × 24.5 cm) is characteristic of Cranach's intimate portrait format for high-profile sitters.
Technical Analysis
Albert's cardinal regalia — scarlet robes, broad-brimmed hat — gave Cranach the same brilliant chromatic opportunity that such commissions always provided. He renders the red vestments with saturated, warm tones that dominate the composition, while Albert's face — plump, intelligent, and slightly guarded — is observed with careful psychological attention.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice Cardinal Albrecht's elaborate vestments: the most extravagant ecclesiastical costume Cranach ever depicted, the cardinal's red robes rendered with his characteristic textile precision.
- ◆Look at how Albrecht's portly features are rendered with Cranach's characteristic honest likeness: no attempt to idealize the man whose indulgence-selling helped provoke the Reformation.
- ◆Find any religious attributes or symbols that accompany the cardinal: his hat, cross, or books.
- ◆Observe the historical irony: Cranach, Luther's closest artistic associate, repeatedly painted the cardinal whose actions helped trigger the Reformation.
