Portrait of Anna Buchner, née Lindacker

Lucas Cranach the Elder · c. 1520

For many years, Lucas Cranach composed his subjects in wedding portraits the very same way: a seated half-figure, hands in the lap, one resting over the other. Unlike her husband, though, Anna Buchner does not look directly at the viewer, which would have been considered immodest. Her body, draped in expensive garments, a pearl-studded tiara, golden hairnet, heavy gold chain, and a great number of rings with rubies and emeralds, was a showcase to display her family’s wealth.