Caricatures of Luther’s Enemies, 1521 (Germanisches Nationalmuseum, HB 15079)

The woodcut on this pamphlet by an anonymous artist shows important detractors of Luther during the time of the Roman trial as caricatures wearing animal masks. On the far left, appears the Franciscan Thomas Murner (1475–1537) as a tomcat. The Straßburg poet and satirist Murner attacked Luther from 1520 in several works. His best-known poem is “Von dem Großen Lutherischen Narren” (On the Great Lutheran Fool) of 1522. Next to him, the theologian Hieronymus Emser (1478–1527) who after the Leipzig Disputation of 1519 published anti-reformatory writings can be seen as a billy goat.

The lion in the picture’s centre is Pope Leo X (1475–1521, pope 1513–1521) who is called antichrist in the title. On his right, stand the Ingolstadt professor of theology, Johannes Eck (1486–1543), disguised as a pig and the Tübingen professor of theology, Jakob Lemp (1460/1470–1532), as a dog. The pope hands a coin to Johannes Eck. The caption explains that Leo X promises Eck a cardinal’s hat and money if Eck manages to vanquish Luther.

The satirising depiction of literary opponents by the use of animal motifs had already been in use among humanists. The animals were allocated on the basis of name or of other traits. For example, the depiction of Johannes Eck as a pig derived from his last name. The Ecker (acorn) was fed to pigs. By means of these animal masks, the adversaries of Luther would be lampooned in later caricatures as well.

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