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

Portrait of Martin Luther as Junker Jörg

1521-22
Oil and tempera on red beechwood, 34 x 25 cm
Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig

After the excommunication by Pope Leo X, Luther's life was in grave danger. To protect him from arrest and murder, Elector Frederick the Wise had him abducted and held captive at Wartburg, where he remained incognito as the aristocratic Junker Jörg.

There are several versions of this portrait, the one in Leipzig is probably a repetition of an earlier version by Cranach and his workshop.