Mary Cleophas and Alphaeus (with the features of Frederick the Wise) with two of their sons, 1509

Title

Mary Cleophas and Alphaeus (with the features of Frederick the Wise) with two of their sons

Painter

• Lucas Cranach the Elder

Altar

The Holy Kinship (so-called "Torgau Altarpiece")

Part Number / Total

2 / 5

Period Produced

• 16th century

School

• Renaissance

Object Type

• painting (artwork)

Physical Description

Mixed technique on limewood

Material

• limewood

Technique

• mixed technique

Institution

• Städel Museum

Administration

• Old Masters 1300 - 1800

Collection

• Städelsches Kunstinstitut

Creditline

Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Picture Copyright

CC BY-SA 4.0 Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Acquisition

Purchased in 1906 with funds provided by the Carl Schaub foundation, the Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V., the City of Frankfurt am Main, and donations

Genre

• altarpiece
• depiction of a saint
• historical narration
• literary representation

Main Motif

• Cleopas
• Alphaeus
• James the Less (apostle)
• Joseph Barsabbas
• woman
• child
• man
• group of people

Persons Shown

• Mary of Cleophas
• Alphaeus
• James son of Alphaeus (apostle)
• Joseph Barsabbas

Associated Persons and Institutions

• Frederick III (Elector of Saxony)
• Holy Kinship

Illustrated Passage

• Die Legenda aurea des Jacobus de Voragine, übersetzt von Richard Benz, Heidelberg 1984, S. 678

Primary

• 11HH(MARY KLEOPHAS) Mary Kleophas, sister of the Virgin Mary, mother of James the Less ('Maria Jacobi'); possible attributes: jar of ointment
• 11H(ALPHÄUS) male saints (ALPHÄUS)
• 31A231(+4) standing figure (+ three-quarter view)
• 11H(JAMES THE LESS)2 the apostle James the Less, first bishop of Jerusalem; possible attributes: book, fuller's club, scroll - early life of male saint
• 42A31 nursing, suckling
• 11H(JOSEPH BARSABBAS)2 male saints (JOSEPH BARSABBAS) - early life of male saint
• 31A2351 sitting on the ground
• 49N reading

Secondary

• 49MM32 book - MM - book open
• 41A351 terrace
• 48C161 column, pillar ~ architecture
• 41A3372 view through a window from the inside
• 25H11 mountains
• 25G11 groups of trees
• 41A12 castle

Associative

• 61B2(FRIEDRICH (Sachsen, Kurfürst, 3, der Weise))13(+55) historical person (FRIEDRICH (Sachsen, Kurfürst, 3, der Weise)) - historical person (FRIEDRICH (Sachsen, Kurfürst, 3, der Weise)) portrayed in a group, in a group-portrait (+ full length portrait)