Follower of Lucas Cranach I (Kronach, 1472 – Weimar, 1553)
Attributed to Franz Wolfgang Rohrich (Nuremberg 1787 - 1834)
Frederick III of Saxony, called the Wise (1486–1525)
oil on panel (59 x 41 cm - with frame 85 x 68 cm)
Provenance:
Contini Bonacossi Collection, Florence, 1928 (as Lucas Cranach I)
Lempertz Auction, Cologne, November 29, 1968, lot 15
Dorotheum, Vienna, Old Master Paintings, 10.11.2022, lot 184 (as follower of Lucas Cranach I, URL: https://www.dorotheum.com/de/l/8282042/)
FULL DETAILS (link)
The painting portrays Prince Frederick III of Saxony, known as Frederick the Wise, in middle age, with a serene gaze and a tranquil expression on his face, half-length while holding a precious rosary. The prince appears richly dressed, with a gold brocade robe, a brown fur collar widened on the shoulders, and a golden headdress for his hair.
The sleeves are decorated with knotted gold cords and the beads of the rosary are gold spheres. The lectern, on which a book rests, is covered with a fabric similar to that of the robe.
The original work, now lost, is the portrait that the court painter Lucas Cranach made for the Dominican church in Nuremberg, part of a program of princely propaganda with a religious background set in motion by the ruler.
To satisfy this purpose, several copies were made at the time, one of which is the one now kept at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg (URL: https://objektkatalog.gnm.de/wisski/navigate/9755/view).
In our case, the painting is part of the series of replicas made later by the skilled German painter Franz Wolfgang Rohrich, who trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and then settled in Nuremberg, where he replicated with great success numerous paintings in the exact style and technique of the models by Lucas Cranach I (1472 – 1553).
It is not known exactly whether Rohrich created these works only as an exercise in style or with a more astute purpose, but the fact is that many collectors and even museums acquired these portraits, confusing them with original works of the time, thanks to their perfect rendering. Among these, for example, the portrait of 'Sibylle de Clèves with her son', purchased from Pierre Révoil (1776-1842), a collector of medieval and Renaissance art, then entered the Royal Museum in 1828 with the Révoil collection, as an original by Cranach (today naturally correctly attributed to Rohrich, kept in the collections of the Louvre, URL: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010066838)
As an example, we show you other of his creations:
- Sibylla of Cleves, Huntington (New York), August Heckscher Museum
- New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sophie of Poland https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437495
- New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Frederick I (1460–1536), Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437494
- Portrait d’une femme à l’enfant toile, 60 x 42,5 cm Saint-Pétersbourg, Musée national de l’Ermitage
- Christies London Old Master and British Paintings: 30 Oct 2014 https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5836523
- Isabeau of Bavaria https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Isabeau_of_Bavaria_-_Franz_Wolfgang_Rohrich_(attr.)_-_19th_centur...
As we can see, our painter, endowed with enormous talent, perfectly captures Cranach's style and technique, with the same meticulous attention to detail.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The work sold is completed by a pleasant frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and guarantee.
We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.
It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery of Riva del Garda, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works.
Contact us, without obligation, for any additional information.
Follow us also on:
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/
