bavarikon4UDescription
After Cranach (1472–1553) had created two portraits in print which show Luther (10.11.1483–18.2.1546) in half profile as an Augustinian monk without head gear, for the third portrait he chose a different design. Luther is here shown in strict profile, i.e. in a mode of representation that reminds of the tradition of ancient portraits on coins and medals. It bestows an air of grandeur and dignity on the sitter. In addition, Luther is explicitly presented as scholar by means of the academic mortarboard which is pushed far back towards his neck. The caption below the portrait refers to the topos of the impossibility to portray the mind so often used for scholars’ portraits. In English translation it reads “This image of Luther’s mortal figure is the work of Lucas, Luther himself will express his eternal mind.” In the Coburg Collection, the Luther portrait with the mortarboard exists in two copies. The exemplar displayed here shows the rarely preserved first printing state, in which the sitter appears before a light background. In the second printing state, which matches the second Coburg exemplar, the background was darkened by means of a reticular hatching on the printing plate.
Author
Michael Overdick