Who painted Portrait of a Man?

Portrait of a Man was painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1534.

Where can I see Portrait of a Man?

Portrait of a Man is held by Statens Museum for Kunst.

What movement is Portrait of a Man?

Portrait of a Man is associated with Northern Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of Portrait of a Man?

Museum-quality prints of Portrait of a Man are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Portrait of a Man

Lucas Cranach the Elder , 1534

Portrait of a Man is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Elder. It dates from 1534 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Overview

Lucas Cranach the Elder’s oil painting titled *Portrait of a Man* dates from 1534 and is part of the collection at Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst. The work presents a single male sitter in a solemn pose, rendered in the characteristic Northern Renaissance manner of the early sixteenth century.

Subject & Meaning

The figure is shown in a dark robe with a crisp white collar, his hands placed on his chest; one hand grasps a small, round object that may be a coin or a signet ring. The direct gaze and composed demeanor suggest a portrait intended to convey status, personal virtue, or a specific civic role.

Technique & Style

Cranach employs a restrained palette of deep blacks, muted greens and browns, allowing the white collar and the flesh tones to stand out. The artist’s handling of light creates a subtle chiaroscuro effect, modeling the face and especially the hands with pronounced texture and three‑dimensionality, while the background remains flat and unadorned.

History & Provenance

Created in 1534, the painting entered the holdings of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display. Its provenance prior to acquisition by the museum is not extensively documented, but the work is recognized as part of Cranach’s mature output during his later career in Wittenberg.

Context

The portrait belongs to a period when Northern artists produced individualized likenesses for patrons of the emerging bourgeois class. Cranach’s workshop was known for combining courtly elegance with a keen observation of texture, evident in the detailed rendering of the sitter’s hands and facial features.