Luther as 'Junker Jorg'
Medium
Woodcut; second state of four (Hollstein)
Dimensions
Sheet: 14 3/16 × 8 7/8 in. (36 × 22.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1927
Accession Number
27.54.27
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1522, Lucas Cranach the Elder, a leading German Renaissance artist and close ally of Martin Luther, created this striking woodcut print titled *Luther as 'Junker Jörg'*. The second state of four (as cataloged by Hollstein), it measures 14 3/16 × 8 7/8 inches and captures Luther in disguise as a rugged knight, complete with sword, feathered hat, and chainmail. Cranach's bold, expressive style—hallmarks of Northern Renaissance printmaking—made such images affordable and widely distributable, fueling the Protestant Reformation. The portrait commemorates Luther's daring escape in 1521 after de...
About the Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder · 1472–1553
Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472-1553) was one of the most prominent German Renaissance painters and a key artistic figure of the Protestant Reformation. Born in Kronach, Franconia, to the painter Hans Maler, Cranach began his career in Vienna around 1502, where he became one of the founders of the Danube School, a movement characterized by expressive landscape painting and emotional force. His ea...