Cranach in Grunewald

Almost 30 works by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Lucas Cranach the Younger and their workshop provide a striking insight into the rulers and artistic life at the Berlin court in the 16th century.

The paintings have returned to their original home after a five-year absence. During the period in which Berlin’s oldest palace complex was being carefully renovated, the foundation’s conservators and researchers used the time to carry out comprehensive studies and careful restoration of these precious works. Joachim II (1505–1571) was a defining figure in the development of the Renaissance in Berlin.

Portraits by the two Cranachs depict the patron of Grunewald Hunting Lodge at different stages of his life – as a Crown Prince (c. 1520) and as an Elector (c. 1570). His extensive commissions to Lucas Cranach the Elder and his workshop included the Passion panels for the Berlin Collegiate Church as well as the series on the virtues of rulers (Exemplum panels), which were intended to adorn the Berlin Palace.

The surviving panels reflect the Hohenzollerns’ heightened desire for prestige, but they also illustrate a period of religious transition: whilst Joachim II’s father was one of the so-called ‘old-believing’ rulers, his son pursued a moderate religious policy, turning towards the Reformed faith in accordance with the teachings of Martin Luther. New interpretations of supposedly traditional pictorial themes can also be discovered in the works of the Cranach family.

The outstanding Cranach paintings are complemented by the SPSG’s collection of Old German and Old Netherlandish paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries. Grunewald Hunting Lodge, which was built in 1542 as a moated castle known as ‘Zum Gruenen Wald’, provides a historically fitting setting for the collection.

Courtly Hunting in Art

The second thematic focus of the permanent exhibition relates to the castle’s original use as a hunting lodge. A diverse range of artistic works illustrating the Hohenzollerns’ passion for hunting is brought together here – from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. On display are depictions of court hunts and hunting festivals, as well as furnishings from electoral and royal palaces featuring hunting motifs and various forms of trophy display.