Portrait of Martin Luther

For his Portrait of Martin Luther, Georg Pencz openly draws inspiration from the famous painting by Lucas Cranach. Painting his portrait in 1533, Pencz seems to take inspiration from the matching piece of Luther and his wife Katharina von Bora painted in 1528, versions of which are kept in the museums of Weimar and Darmstadt.

The components of this type of portrait with its three-quarter pose, dark clothing and doctoral cap, became characteristic in the portrayal of the theologian. They are the symbols of the Reformation, as well as bearing witness to the period of power of this Augustinian monk at the origin of the movement that spread like wildfire in Germany and Europe.