Skip to main content

Lucas Cranach the Elder, 'Portrait of Johannes Feige', possibly early 1530s

About the work

The coat of arms on the left resembles that of Johann Feige, chancellor of Hesse (a state in central Germany) between 1514 and 1542, while the shield on the right may represent that of his mother. Feige moved in the same Protestant circles that employed Cranach, and is likely to have known the artist.

Johann was possibly in his early fifties when Cranach painted this picture, and the artist has masterfully portrayed the sitter’s wisps of thinning hair and pallid, jowly face. Although he is simply dressed, the diamond pattern on Johann’s coat suggests his clothing is of good quality and expensive. The money bag worn on his belt also hints at his wealth.

Key facts

Full title
Portrait of Johannes Feige
Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Artist dates
1472 - 1553
Date made
possibly early 1530s
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
40.7 × 26.1 cm
Inscription summary
Signed; Dated
Acquisition credit
Presented by John P. Heseltine, 1903
Inventory number
NG1925
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

More works by Lucas Cranach the Elder

(Showing 6 of 10 works)
Charity
Charity
Lucas Cranach the Elder
In 1 Corinthians 13, Saint Paul discusses three traits that would become known as the theological virtues: faith, hope and charity. He believed that charity, an expression of the love of God and of one’s neighbour, was the most important. Here, the inscription ‘CHARITAS’ at the top of the picture...
Not on display
Cupid complaining to Venus
Cupid complaining to Venus
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Cupid, the god of erotic love, is complaining to his mother, Venus, the goddess of love: he has been stung by bees after stealing a honeycomb. Venus directs her attention towards the viewer instead. Her narrowed gaze appears flirtatious and she clutches the branch of an apple tree, evocative of t...
Not on display
Cupid complaining to Venus
Cupid complaining to Venus
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Venus, the goddess of love, leans against a leafy tree while her son Cupid, the god of desire, tries to get her attention. Clutching a stolen honeycomb, he complains as bees swarm and sting him – but Venus is uninterested in her son. Instead, her attention is directed towards us.The Latin inscrip...
Not on display
Diptych: Two Electors of Saxony
Diptych: Two Electors of Saxony
Lucas Cranach the Elder
These joined portraits depict two future electors of Saxony, Johann the Steadfast and his son, Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous – Cranach worked as court painter to successive electors from 1505 until his death in 1553. The coats of arms on the back of the right panel help to confirm their identi...
Not on display
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman
Lucas Cranach the Elder
We don‘t know the identity of this woman dressed in sumptuous fabrics and heavy gold jewellery, but her clothing is like that worn by the elite of society and ladies of the Saxon court. Her outfit is, in parts, physically impossible: the rings she wears under her gloves are higher up her fingers...
Not on display
Portrait of Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous
Portrait of Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous
Lucas Cranach the Elder
This painting makes up the right panel of a portrait diptych (a painting made of two parts) that depicts two future electors of Saxony, Johann the Steadfast and his son, Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous.Johann Friedrich was six years old when this portrait was made. Against convention, he was por...
Not on display
Portrait of Johann the Steadfast
Portrait of Johann the Steadfast
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Johann the Steadfast, Elector of Saxony from 1525 to 1532, would have been about 38 when this portrait was made. He wears a sumptuous black hat and coat, both decorated with gold thread and seed pearls.This panel is part of a diptych (a painting made of two parts) – the conjoining panel depicts J...
Not on display
Primitive People
Primitive People
Lucas Cranach the Elder
The subject of this painting has been much debated, but it’s generally thought to show an imagined view of a past and primitive society. Cranach made a number of similar paintings from 1527 to 1535. Since the twentieth century it has been assumed that the origin of the subject lies in a classical...
Not on display
Saints Christina and Ottilia
Saints Christina and Ottilia
Lucas Cranach the Elder
This painting, which shows Saints Christina and Ottilia, was part of a multi-panelled altarpiece made by Cranach in 1506, shortly after he was appointed court painter to the Elector of Saxony, Friedrich the Wise.Saint Christina of Bolsena was a third-century virgin martyr. When she renounced her...
Not on display
Saints Genevieve and Apollonia
Saints Genevieve and Apollonia
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Saint Genevieve, born in the fifth century, is the patron saint of Paris. She was a nun, and helped protect the city from attack from the Huns and the Franks. Here, she holds the candle that miraculously relit after the devil blew it out while she was praying alone one night.Saint Apollonia was a...
Not on display
You've viewed 6 of 10 works