_-_Friedrich_III_von_Sachsen_-_Kunstsammlungen_und_Museen_Augsburg%2C_Schaetzlerpalais.jpg&width=1200)
Elector Frederick III of Saxony
Historical Context
Elector Frederick III of Saxony, painted in 1517 and held at the Augsburg Art Collections and Museums, portrays Cranach’s most important patron in the year the Reformation began. Frederick the Wise (1463–1525) was the elector who protected Luther from papal and imperial prosecution, allowing the Reformation to survive its critical early years. Painted in the very year Luther posted his 95 Theses, this portrait captures Frederick at a moment of supreme historical consequence. The painting’s location in Augsburg is significant—it was at the Diet of Augsburg in 1530 that the Protestant princes formally presented their confession of faith before Emperor Charles V.
Technical Analysis
The portrait shows Cranach's assured handling of princely portraiture with careful rendering of the Elector's features and costume, projecting the dignified authority appropriate to Saxony's ruler.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice this 1517 Augsburg portrait of the Elector: Cranach's patron is depicted in Augsburg rather than Wittenberg, reflecting the elector's travel for Imperial Diet meetings.
- ◆Look at how this portrait relates to earlier Frederick the Wise portraits: the same careful documentation of the elector's aging features.
- ◆Find the Augsburg Art Collections and Museums provenance: this portrait survived in the Bavarian city rather than returning to Saxony.
- ◆Observe the 1517 date: this is the year the Reformation began, and Frederick would soon face the decision of whether to protect Luther.
