Beardless young man 1500

Lucas Cranach the Elder painted this portrait of a Beardless Young Man in oil on wood, sometime in the first half of the sixteenth century. Cranach was working in Germany, a society undergoing immense change, and portraits like these offer us a valuable window into that period. The man's clothing signals his place in the social hierarchy of the time: fine linen, a fur-lined coat, and rings signify wealth. The rosary in his hands is a devotional object that speaks to the importance of religious life in the early 1500s. However, the portrait may also reference the brewing reformation; Cranach would become a follower of Martin Luther, and the lack of overt religious symbols could be a subtle nod to the movement's rejection of certain Catholic traditions. By studying letters, poems, financial records, and religious pamphlets from the period, art historians can develop a richer understanding of the work and its place in the social and institutional context of its own time.