Portrait of Hans Melber 1526

Lucas Cranach the Elder's "Portrait of Hans Melber" from 1526 depicts the sitter in a three-quarter length pose against a backdrop of rolling hills. Melber, likely a wealthy merchant, is shown in fashionable attire with a distinctive black cap adorned with gold dots. The artist's meticulous attention to detail and the sitter's composed expression convey the importance of individual portraiture during the Renaissance. This oil painting, currently housed in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich, is a fine example of Cranach's mastery of portraiture and the prevailing styles of the early 16th century.