Princes' Altarpiece, c.1507/09 Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553)

We create our paintings with museum quality and covering the highest academic standards. Once we get your order, it will be entirely hand-painted with oil on canvas. All the materials we use are the highest level, being totally artist graded painting materials and linen canvas.

We will add 1.6" (4 cm) additional blank canvas all over the painting for stretching.

High quality and detailing in every inch are time consuming. The reproduction of Lucas Cranach the Elder also needs time to dry in order to be completely ready for shipping, as this is crucial to not be damaged during transportation.
Based on the size, level of detail and complexity we need 8-9 weeks to complete the process.

In case the delivery date needs to be extended in time, or we are overloaded with requests, there will be an email sent to you sharing the new timelines of production and delivery.

TOPofART wants to remind you to keep patient, in order to get you the highest quality, being our mission to fulfill your expectations.

We not stretch and frame our oil paintings due to several reasons:
Painting reproduction is a high quality expensive product, which we cannot risk to damage by sending it being stretched.
Also, there are postal restrictions, regarding the size of the shipment.
Additionally, due to the dimensions of the stretched canvas, the shipment price may exceed the price of the product itself.

You can stretch and frame your painting in your local frame-shop.

Once the painting Princes' Altarpiece is ready and dry, it will be shipped to your delivery address. The canvas will be rolled-up in a secure postal tube.

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The paintings we create are only of museum quality. Our academy graduated artists will never allow a compromise in the quality and detail of the ordered painting. TOPofART do not work, and will never allow ourselves to work with low quality studios from the Far East. We are based in Europe, and quality is our highest priority.

Lucas Cranach the Elder’s "Princes' Altarpiece" from around 1507-1509 is a fascinating snapshot of Renaissance piety tangled up in Cranach's unmistakable style. Here, we have the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, and the composition is anything but typical. Surrounding them is a curious ensemble: two female saints, likely representing Saint Catherine and Saint Barbara, with cherubic angels fluttering around - all of this packed into a panel that feels intimate, yet busy.

The figures themselves are richly dressed - Cranach lavishes their robes with sumptuous colors, like the deep crimson that Mary wears, an elegant drape across her chest. The Christ Child, sitting comfortably on Mary's lap, has an oddly rosy complexion, holding an apple as if he’s a baby Hercules, ready to take on sin itself. The child’s rounded, plump form gives him an almost doll-like appearance, but there’s something off-kilter about the way the figures seem to float in the space - as though they’ve been delicately arranged, but without any natural sense of gravity.

Cranach was nothing if not a master of detail. Each angel has their own personality, their plump faces lit with divine cheer. The saints, too, are marked by meticulous hairdos - the braids, particularly, are intricately woven, almost distractingly so, as though Cranach wanted to prove his skill by turning hair into a visual focal point.

The palette is warm, almost glowing. Golds, reds, and earthy tones dominate, but they’re offset by the delicate whites and soft pinks of the angels, as well as the shimmering surface of the chalice resting on the table. The composition feels vertical, with the angels rising up and creating a sense of movement, while the central figures remain grounded - albeit in a slightly wooden, statuesque way. It’s both harmonious and oddly stiff at the same time - a hallmark of Cranach, whose work often juggled realism with an almost ornamental detachment. There’s no denying the beauty, but it's that odd mix of intimacy and formality that keeps this piece slightly enigmatic.