Follower of Lucas Cranach I, Frederick III of Saxony, 19th Century, Oil on Panel

Details

Description

Follower of lucas cranach i (kronach, 1472 – weimar, 1553)
attributed to franz wolfgang rohrich (nuremberg 1787–1834)

frederick iii of … Read more Follower of lucas cranach i (kronach, 1472 – weimar, 1553)
attributed to franz wolfgang rohrich (nuremberg 1787–1834)

frederick iii of saxony, called the wise (1486–1525)

oil on panel (59 x 41 cm - framed 85 x 68 cm)

provenance:
contini bonacossi collection, florence, 1928 (as lucas cranach i)
lempertz auction, cologne, november 29, 1968, lot 15
dorotheum, vienna, old master paintings, november 10, 2022, lot 184 (as follower of lucas cranach i

the painting depicts prince frederick iii of saxony, known as frederick the wise, in his mature years, with a serene gaze and a calm expression on his face. He is depicted in half-length, holding a precious rosary. The prince appears richly dressed, wearing a gold brocade robe, a brown fur collar spread over his shoulders, and a gold headdress.

the sleeves are decorated with knotted gold cords, and the rosary beads are gold spheres. The lectern, on which a book rests, is covered in a fabric similar to that of the robe.

the original work, now lost, is the portrait that court painter lucas cranach created for the dominican church in nuremberg, as part of a religiously motivated princely propaganda program initiated by the ruler.

to fulfill this purpose, several copies were made at the time, one of which is now housed in the germanisches nationalmuseum.

in our case, the painting is part of a series of replicas created later by the skilled german painter franz wolfgang rohrich, who trained at the munich academy of art and later settled in nuremberg, where he successfully replicated numerous paintings in the exact style and technique of the models by lucas cranach i (1472–1553).

it is unclear whether rohrich created these works merely as a stylistic exercise or with a more subtle purpose, but the fact remains that many collectors and even museums acquired these portraits, mistaking them for original works of the period, thanks to their perfect rendering. Among these, for example, is the portrait of sibylle de cleves with her son, purchased by pierre révoil (1776-1842), a collector of medieval and renaissance art, which later entered the royal museums in 1828 with the révoil collection, as an original by cranach (now correctly attributed to rohrich, held in the louvre collections).

as an example, we show you some more of his creations:
- sibylle of cleves, huntington (new york), august heckscher museum
- new york, metropolitan museum of art, sophie of poland
- new york, metropolitan museum of art, frederick i (1460–1536), margrave of brandenburg-ansbach
- portrait of a woman with a child, toile, 60 x 42.5 cm, saint-petersburg, hermitage museum
- christies, london, old master and british paintings: 30 oct 2014
- isabeau of bavaria

as we can see, our immensely talented painter perfectly captures cranach's style and technique, with the same meticulous attention to detail.

additional information:

the work being sold is beautifully framed and comes with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution See less