Germany, circa 1530s
The symbolism of this painting is associated with the Christian doctrine of falling from grace and the Salvation of the human race: the Infant Christ holds in his hands an apple and a piece of bread as a symbol of atonement for Man's original sin at the cost of his own earthly life. Here the Virgin is presented as a second Eve who atoned for the sin of the progenitress of the human race and is the Protestant type of the Virgin who embodied the True Church on earth. The magnificent landscape with the smooth surface of the lake and the range of blue mountains on the horizon is reminiscent of the fact that Cranach was one of the founders of the landscape genre in Western European art. The colour scheme based on the combination of red and golden-yellow with emerald green and cold pale blue is evidence of the artist's marvellous gift for colour. The fact that Cranach the Elder was able to produce such a stunning work as early as 1530 is extraordinary.
Comments