CRANACH, Lucas the Elder
(b. 1472, Kronach, d. 1553, Weimar)

St Helena

1525
Oil and tempera on red beechwood, 40 x 27 cm
Art Museum, Cincinnati

Lucas Cranach depicts the saint against a black background, wearing a red velvet dress with gold brocade insets,adorned with fashionable chains and a typical contemporary necklace, and on her head a cruciform crown.

This panel originally was the wing of a medium-sized triptych intended for private devotion.