Portrait of Barbara, Duchess of Saxony

This painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder portrait of Barbara, Duchess of Saxony, at some point during her marriage to George, Duke of Saxony. Barbara (1478-1534) was the daughter of Casimir IV, King of Poland, and Elisabeth of Austria. She married George in 1496 and both appeared as donors on panels from an altarpiece in the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection.

Cranach served as court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, producing portraits, altarpieces, and mythological scenes. His workshop was highly productive, and multiple versions of royal portraits often exist. This portrait of the Duchess likely served as the basis for later depictions, including some executed by the workshop after her death.

The painting hangs at the National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst) in Copenhagen. Cranach's portraits of Saxon nobility document the appearance of rulers during the Reformation era, when religious and political upheaval transformed Germany.