Workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder

Dr. L. Ivan Epstein, by 1979. 

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work has not been recently restored and would benefit from re-examination. The reverse of the panel has been cradled. There seem to be two original joins to the panel, one running vertically through the shoulder on the right, and one running vertically through the hand holding the dagger on the left. There is an additional crack running into the stomach of the figure from the center of the bottom edge, and another running through the elbow on the left also from the bottom edge. Under ultraviolet light, restorations can be seen in the face, mostly in the forehead and on the right side of the face. There are some spots the chest and a few spots in the right side of the ribs. All of the cracks in the panels mentioned above have also received restorations. The still life on the shelf below seems to be nicely preserved. This is a work that should be cleaned and restored more accurately. The condition seems to be quite good, despite the work's appearance at present.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Although the identity of this anonymous master has not been established, he appears to have been a Bohemian artist active in or around the studio of Lucas Cranach around 1523.  The goal of all the artists in Cranach’s workshop was to produce paintings as close as possible to that of the master, many of which bore the Cranach insignia of the winged serpent. What is unusual about this Lucretia is that while the subject of the painting and the style are clearly based on Cranach, the panel has the artist’s own initials.