One of my favorite Cranach paintings is “Christ Blessing the Children.” See a discussion after the break.
HT: Rev. Anthony R. Voltattorni, Young Children Saying The Same Thing As Christ | Alien Righteousness. (Read this post for a modern-day application.)
This is “Christ Blessing the Children.” The crowd of babies and their moms all come alive around Jesus. Strangely, Cranach was the FIRST artist to take up this theme, which he took up in later variations. Lutherans were stressing that little children can and do have faith, over against the controversies over infant baptism.
Here is a discussion of the painting by the Catholic writer Terry Prest:
Cranach`s painting is one of the most popular and enduring images produced by his workshop during the Reformation. The theme is unknown before Cranach the Elder.
Often the painting had a legend in block capitals: “‘VND SIE BRACHTEN KINDLIN ZV IM DAS ER SIE ANRVRETE. MARCVS AM X.’
It is overtly didactic.
The theme is distinctly Lutheran: only an unspoiled childish belief in God, as revealed in Christ, can prepare the way for sinful mankind to achieve redemption.
Salvation and grace are free. They are not earned by works or labour.
The figure of Christ is pushed to the front of the picture-plane and the powerfully characterised heads of the Apostles, owe more to Dürer than to Raphael
Also notable are the figures of the women. These are not passive women. They are ordinary women, energetic, forcing their ways forward in wanting their children to be touched by Christ
The children are babies. A subtle or perhaps not too subtle refutation of those who at the time rejected Infant Baptism
Now Catholics can look at and appreciate these works and find inspiration in them
Cranach the Elder was Luther`s PR man. His works were essential to the success of the Lutheran Reformation. He was Luther`s best man at his wedding.
The theme invented by Cranach was popular throughout Northern Europe in the centuries after Cranach as can be seen by the works by Maes and West above. [Go to the link for other versions.]
However it is worth pointing out at the same time as he was producing such didactic works and maintaining good relations with Luther and his family, Cranach had good professional relations Catholic patrons, including Luther’s bête noire, Cardinal Albrecht, the archbishop of Mainz. He and his workshop produced typically “Catholic” pictures. These are not pot boilers but works of great spiritual depth
In his time there was always hope on both sides that the Lutherans and the rest of the Catholic Church would eventually reunite. The split was not at that time irrevocable.
Indeed Cardinal Albrecht had even sent Luther’s bride a wedding gift.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In