Cranach II was a painter and designer of woodcuts, and son of Lucas Cranach I. His work was so closely modelled on that of his father that distinguishing the late style of Lucas I from the early works of his son remains in most cases hypothetical. Having first been his father's pupil and assistant, he remained in the workshop his entire career. His responsibilities increased over the 1530s, especially after the death of his older brother Hans in 1537. Lucas II became the de facto head of the workshop in 1550, when his father left Wittenberg to join the deposed Saxon elector John Frederick in Augsburg. On his father's death in 1553, he became sole proprietor and chief artist of this family enterprise.

In 1541 he...