Silver Statuette of St. Matthew from the Wittenberg Reliquaries 1472 - 1553

This silver statuette of St. Matthew was crafted by Lucas Cranach the Elder as part of the Wittenberg Reliquaries. Produced during the early years of the Protestant Reformation in Germany, the print embodies the complex interplay between religious belief, political power, and artistic production. Cranach’s image creates meaning through symbolic visual codes. The saint's halo and his attribute, the halberd, reference traditional iconography, while the bare feet and simple robes speak to reformist ideals of simplicity and humility. Martin Luther’s Reformation, with its challenge to papal authority and its emphasis on individual faith, deeply influenced Cranach. The statuette can be seen as a commentary on the religious and social structures of its time. Cranach was a key figure in the Protestant Reformation, and his art often served to promote reformist ideas. By studying period documents, theological debates, and artistic patronage, we can better understand the profound ways in which art is shaped by, and in turn shapes, the social and institutional forces of its time.