Elector of Saxony Frederick III

This 1524 portrait of Elector Frederick III of Saxony (Frederick the Wise) at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp depicts Luther's great protector. Frederick's patronage of Dürer and his protection of Luther made him a pivotal figure in both the German Renaissance and the Reformation Albrecht Dürer brought Italian Renaissance ideas north, combining German Gothic tradition with classical proportions to become the dominant artist in the German-speaking world.

The elector is rendered in the characteristic Dürer manner—precise physiognomic observation combined with attention to costume detail. The strong, determined features convey the political authority of the man who sheltered Luther at the Wartburg.