Lucas Cranach the Elder

This study provides the first exhaustive description of the materials, techniques and studio practices of Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472-1553). Heydenreich draws on detailed technical examination of Cranach's paintings, as well as analysis of documentary sources, to explain the characteristic elements of more than three hunderd of Cranach's paintings. Furthermore, the author documents the breadth and diversity of Lucas Cranach the Elder's unique contribution to 16th-century German canvas painting. The importance of this almost forgotten part of the court painter's oeuvre is completely reassessed. In the process, the author provides unprecedented insight into the material and technical history of Renaissance painting in Germany. There is no similar recent publication on Cranach available -- the last monograph on the painter was published in 1974.