Lucas Cranach the Younger

Lucas Cranach the Younger (, ; 4 October 1515 – 25 January 1586) was a German Renaissance painter and portraitist, the son of Lucas Cranach the Elder and brother of Hans Cranach. He maintained the family's artistic workshop after the death of his father, as well as providing portrait for members of the social elite, including princes and nobles.

Life and career Lucas Cranach the Younger was born in Wittenberg, Germany on 4 October 1515, the second son of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Barbara Brengebier. He began his career as a painter as an apprentice in his father's workshop, training alongside his older brother, Hans. Following the sudden death of Hans in 1537, Cranach the Younger would assume greater responsibilities in his father's workshop.

The Protestant Reformation began in Wittenberg in 1517. Cranach the Elder was friends with Martin Luther and became known as a leading producer of Protestant artistic propaganda. In 1550, Cranach the Elder left Wittenberg to join his patron, John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, in exile. Although Cranach the Younger was never a court painter, he worked for members of the social elite, including princes and nobles. Upon his death in 1586, theologian Georg Mylius (1613–1640) stated that Cranach the Younger's work could be seen in "churches and schools, in castles and houses". His daughter Elisabeth married Polykarp Leyser the Elder.

Cranach the Younger died in Wittenberg on 25 January 1586, at the age of 70. He is buried next to one of his finest altarpieces in the church of St Mary, also known as Stadtkirche Wittenberg.

Works

The Family of Sigismund I of Poland