Portrait of Joachim II of Brandenburg

Gallery 354, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (Rubenstein Gallery)

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Portrait of Joachim II of Brandenburg

1529

Lucas Cranach the Elder (German (active Vienna, Wittenberg, and Weimar), 1472–1553)

This portrait of Elector Joachim II (German, 1505-1571) depicts the ruler as heir apparent, six years before he assumed the electoral dignity. It is the companion to Cranach's portrait of Joachim's wife, Magdalena of Saxony (1507-1534), now at the Art Institute of Chicago. Joachim's pearl-decorated doublet displays two repeated motifs: the head of a jester and the letter M. Each M is topped with a heart and crown, probably in playful reference to Magdalena as the queen of Joachim's heart. The jesters may allude to the widespread notion that folly accompanies love.

Gallery 354, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (Rubenstein Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

Portrait of Joachim II of Brandenburg

Date:

1529

Artist:

Lucas Cranach the Elder (German (active Vienna, Wittenberg, and Weimar), 1472–1553)

Medium:

Oil on beech panel

Dimensions:

23 3/8 × 16 3/8 inches (59.4 × 41.6 cm) Framed: 32 1/2 × 25 1/2 × 2 3/4 inches (82.6 × 64.8 × 7 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

John G. Johnson Collection, 1917

Accession Number:

Cat. 739

Geography:

Made in Germany, Europe

Provenance

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Gallery 354, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (Rubenstein Gallery)

Main Building

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