Martin Luther
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 22.8 × 15.3 cm (9 × 6 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ruth and Jacob Kainen Memorial Acquisition Fund
Accession Number
2021.68.1
Art Historical Context
Step into the turbulent world of the Protestant Reformation with this striking 1523 etching, *Martin Luther*, created by Daniel Hopfer after a design by Lucas Cranach the. Hopfer, a pioneering German printmaker, captures the reformer’s resolute gaze and fur-lined robe, faithfully reproducing Cranach’s iconic portrait style. At just 22.8 × 15.3 cm, this intimate sheet packs a powerful punch, now housed in the National Gallery of thanks to the Ruth and Jacobainen Memorial Acquisition Fund. to the height of Luther’s challenge to the Catholic Church—mere years after his 95 Theses—this print play...