Title: Portrait of Henry IV of Saxony and Catherine of Mecklenburg
Description: The Portrait of Henry IV of Saxony and Catherine of Mecklenburg is a double painting by German Renaissance master Lucas Cranach the Elder, dating from 1514, now housed in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister of Dresden, Germany. The work was Cranach's first official portrait, and depicts Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, aside to his wife, Catherine of Mecklenburg in real size. Both wear lavishly decorated clothes and decorations recalling their families' coat of arms. Henry, painted with his hunting dog, is portrayed in the act of drawing his sword. Catherine's panel contains a cartouche with Cranach's initials, the year of execution and a winged snake, the symbol of the painter's workshop.
Author(s): Lucas Cranach the Elder