Lucas Cranach the Elder was born in Kronach in Upper Franconia in 1472. His original family name is uncertain. The name Cranach derives from his birthplace.
His father was a painter and probably provided his earliest artistic training. Little is securely known about Cranach's activities before the beginning of the sixteenth century.
By about 1502 Cranach was working in Vienna. His paintings from this period contain expressive figures placed within extensive landscapes. These works are associated with the artistic development later called the Danube School.
In 1505 Cranach entered the service of Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, at Wittenberg. He would remain closely associated with the Saxon court for most of his career.
As court painter, Cranach performed a wide range of duties. He produced portraits and religious paintings as well as decorative designs connected with court life. His position gave him access to some of the most important political and religious figures in Germany.
In 1508 Cranach received a coat of arms containing a winged serpent. A version of this emblem subsequently became his characteristic signature and also appeared on works produced by his workshop.
Cranach became a prominent citizen of Wittenberg. He operated a large workshop and also participated extensively in the commercial and civic life of the town. He served on the town council and was elected burgomaster more than once.
The beginning of the Protestant Reformation transformed the environment in which Cranach worked. Martin Luther taught at the University of Wittenberg under the protection of Cranach's electoral patrons.
Cranach and Luther became close friends. Cranach produced portraits that helped establish the public image of the Reformer. He also participated in the printing and dissemination of Reformation publications.
The relationship extended beyond professional collaboration. Cranach assisted with arrangements surrounding Luther's marriage to Katharina von Bora, and the two families maintained close personal ties.
Cranach's workshop adapted successfully to the new religious circumstances. It continued producing portraits while developing paintings and prints that expressed themes important to Lutheran theology.
Biblical imagery became especially important in this environment. Cranach could use scriptural scenes not simply as devotional subjects but as visual arguments concerning sin, grace, faith, and salvation.
His son Lucas Cranach the Younger became an important member of the workshop and eventually continued the family enterprise. This creates significant attribution problems because successful compositions were repeated by the master, his son, and workshop assistants.
Cranach remained loyal to the Saxon electoral family during the political conflicts surrounding the Reformation. After Elector John Frederick was defeated and imprisoned in 1547, Cranach eventually joined him during his captivity.
In 1552 Cranach settled in Weimar. He died there the following year at the age of eighty-one. His exceptionally long career left an enormous body of paintings and prints documenting both the artistic culture of the German Renaissance and the emergence of Protestant visual culture.