Allegory of Law and Mercy: Fall of man

Lucas Cranach the Elder developed the Allegory of Law and Mercy — also known as the Allegory of Salvation — as a visual exposition of Lutheran theology, contrasting the Old Testament law that condemns humankind with the New Testament mercy that redeems it. The composition, which Cranach invented, became a paradigmatic image of Protestant didactic painting, reproduced widely in Lutheran territories. The year 1600 likely indicates a later workshop copy of a composition Cranach established earlier in his career.

The composition is divided into two halves by a tree — on one side Moses with the tablets of the law, on the other the crucified Christ with the risen Christ beyond. Cranach's diagrammatic clarity and strong figure silhouettes serve the theological argument more than aesthetic refinement.