Portrait of a Saxon noblewoman as Mary Magdalene 1525

Lucas Cranach the Elder's "Portrait of a Saxon noblewoman as Mary Magdalene," painted in 1525, depicts a woman in luxurious attire standing in a landscape with a jar of ointment. The woman's identity remains unknown, but her elegant dress and jewelry suggest she was a member of the Saxon nobility. Cranach, a prominent artist of the German Renaissance, was known for his portraits and religious paintings, which often blended realism and symbolism. The inclusion of the jar of ointment, a reference to Mary Magdalene's act of anointing Jesus, highlights the painting's religious theme. This work is now housed in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne, Germany.