Lucas Cranach the Elder (
Lucas Cranach der Ältere, c. 1472 – 16 October 1553) was a
German Renaissance painter and
printmaker in
woodcut and
engraving. He was
court painter to the
Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German princes and those of the leaders of the
Protestant Reformation, whose cause he embraced with enthusiasm, becoming a close friend of
Martin Luther. He also painted religious subjects, first in the Catholic tradition, and later trying to find new ways of conveying
Lutheran religious concerns in art. He continued throughout his career to paint nude subjects drawn from
mythology and religion. He had a large workshop and many works exist in different versions; his son
Lucas Cranach the Younger, and others, continued to create versions of his father's works for decades after his death. Lucas Cranach the Elder has been considered the most successful German artist of his time.