Portrait of a Man, Possibly Justus Jonas
Thaw Collection
Watermark: most probably a high crown (possibly Gerhard Piccard, Die Kronenwasserzeichen, Stuttgart, 1961, VI, no. 7, which is documented between 1511 and 1516 in Thuringia, Saxony, and elsewhere).
One of the most celebrated artists of his era, Lucas Cranach the Elder is known for his portraits of German princes and leaders of the Reformation. His preparatory practice included capturing the faces of his sitters with brush and oil paint on paper--a technique otherwise uncommon in northern Europe during the early 1500s. In this example, the gleaming white highlights on the face and collar of the sitter contrast with the brown ground. Resulting from the application of oil to the paper, the ground makes the sitter appear to emerge from the shadows and enhances the illusion of his living presence. -- Exhibition Label, from "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection"
Since ca. 1900 in the family of Michael Bluett Winch; his sale, London, Sotheby's, Old Master Paintings, 11 December 1991, lot 45; Bob P. Haboldt & Co. Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw, New York.
Upper corners are repaired; some wrinkles and tears. Inscribed on the verso in an old, possibly sixteenth century hand, "H. HOLBEEN" and "2."