Portrait of Barbara, Duchess of Saxony 1500

Lucas Cranach the Elder painted this portrait of Barbara, Duchess of Saxony, in Northern Europe, sometime in the first half of the 16th century. Commissioned portraits like this one acted as propaganda. It aimed to convey the power, status, and dynastic aspirations of its sitter, while simultaneously cementing the artist’s reputation. The way the Duchess is dressed in expensive fabrics and wears elaborate jewellery, signals her elite status. Cranach worked as court painter in Wittenberg, a city that was then at the heart of the Protestant Reformation. His religious allegiance gave him privileged access to members of the ruling elite. To better understand an artwork like this, art historians often turn to archival sources like letters, inventories, and guild records. These sources help us to more fully understand the economic and political circumstances that enabled its production. And, they help us to see how art objects both shape and reflect the values of the society in which they were made.