The Golden Age
- Artist: Lucas Cranach d.e.assumed certain
- Creation date: Etter 1534
About
Lucas Cranach the Elder, one of the leading artists of the German Renaissance, was known not least for his nudes. The Golden Age is an outstanding example of such work, which had such a revolutionizing effect north of the Alps. The painting depicts six young, naked couples dancing, bathing, eating, and enjoying themselves in a paradisiacal garden enclosed by a wall.
The painting’s title alludes to the Greek myth of the ideal state that existed during the first Age of Man, before the advent of civilization. The notion of such a Golden Age was first transcribed by the Greek poet Hesiod (eighth century BC) in his didactic poem ”Works and Days”. Hesiod describes the Golden Age as an era when humanity lived a carefree, godlike existence, completely at peace with one another.
A garden replete with flowers, fruit trees, grapevines, and pairs of animals unfolds as a luxurious carpet in front of the viewer, while the extramural landscape is depicted in linear perspective. A rock in the upper left corner is crowned by an impressive fortress; this might be a depiction of Hartenfels Castle, which at the time was the residence of the Ernestine dynasty, one of Cranach’s patrons.
By incorporating this contemporary element, Cranach advances the idea of the Golden Age being born anew, with the Ernestines serving as the mythically sanctioned guarantors of a felicitous reign. Cranach has decorated the naked figures with necklaces of gold. The conventional imagery of the mythical Golden Age is combined with an erotic licentiousness that includes “the Garden of Delight” as an additional theme. A version of this painting can be found in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
- Creation date:
- Etter 1534
- Other titles:
- Gullalderen (NOR)
Kjærlighetens hage (NOR) - Object type:
- Painting
- Materials and techniques:
- Olje på treplate
- Material:
- Plate
- Dimensions:
- Width: 103.5 cm
- Height: 75 cm
- Keywords:
- Visual art
- Classification:
- 532 - Bildende kunst
- Motif:
- Animal
- Motif - type:
- Mythological scene or figure, Allegory
- Inventory no.:
- NG.M.00519
- Cataloguing level:
- Single object
- Acquisition:
- Acquired from Axel Kulle 1899
- Owner and collection:
- Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
- Photo:
- Jarre, Anne Hansteen
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Other works by Lucas Cranach d.e.
Hieronymus' botgjøringLucas Cranach d.e.1509 (plate)
Martyrdom of St. James the GreatLucas Cranach d.e.Ca. 1512 (plate)
Apostelen Matteus' martyriumLucas Cranach d.e.Ca. 1512 (plate)
The fourth tournamentLucas Cranach d.e.1509 (plate)
Apostelen Simons martyriumLucas Cranach d.e.Ca. 1512 (plate)
Evangelisten Johannes' martyriumLucas Cranach d.e.Ca. 1512 (plate)
The Infant Christ as redeemerLucas Cranach d.e.Mellom 1510 og 1520 (plate)
Kristi oppstandelseLucas Cranach d.e.Mellom 1532 og 1539
The holy kinshipLucas Cranach d.e.Ca. 1509 eller 1510 (plate)- Apostelen Judas Taddeus' martyriumLucas Cranach d.e.Ca. 1512 (plate)
Apostelen Peters martyriumLucas Cranach d.e.Ca. 1512
Apostelen Bartolomeus' martyriumLucas Cranach d.e.Ca. 1512 (plate)
















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