Saint Maurice
ca. 1520-25
Lucas Cranach the Elder broke tradition with this striking 1520s portrait of Saint Maurice, depicting the early Christian martyr as a Black African rather than the white European figure common in earlier art. Dressed in dazzling, jewel-encrusted plate armor and a flamboyant red hat topped with massive white feathers, he cuts a commanding figure against a lush landscape. As the commander of the legendary Theban Legion, Maurice was a powerful symbol of faith and military might, and Cranach’s vivid, humanizing portrayal made this piece a groundbreaking masterpiece of the German Renaissance.
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