This painting makes up the right panel of a portrait diptych (a painting made of two parts) that depicts two future electors of Saxony, Johann the Steadfast and his son, Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous.

   Johann Friedrich was six years old when this portrait was made. Against convention, he was portrayed higher up and closer to the viewer than his father, making him appear larger. He faces the viewer straight on, instead of at a quarter-turn to the frame, as was common in many of Cranach’s portraits (and is demonstrated in the left panel of this diptych).

   Cranach painted Johann Friedrich’s portrait throughout his life, although his depictions of the Elector as a thickly set man with receding dark hair bear little resemblance to the angelic blonde child in this portrait.

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   Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous was Elector of Saxony from 1532 until 1547. In this portrait he is a six-year-old child, but Cranach has depicted him higher up and closer to the viewer than his father appears in the accompanying portrait. He is positioned close to the edge of the frame, dominating most of the composition.

   The portrait presents Johann Friedrich as the ruler he will become, rather than the child he is. His elaborate clothes emphasise his status: set against a black background, he wears a vibrant tartan coat, a heavy gold chain and an elaborate hat adorned with gold brooches and a plume of ostrich feathers. He clutches the hilt of his sword with both hands.

   Cranach continued to paint Johann Friedrich throughout his life, and these portraits show how the angelic blonde boy in this picture grew into a portly man with receding short dark hair and a curly moustache. He was committed to the Protestant cause and a dedicated follower of the teachings of Martin Luther. His support of Luther led to an escalation of tensions with the Holy Roman Empire and, at the Battle of Mühlberg against Catholic Charles V in 1547, Johann Friedrich was defeated and sent into exile. He was wounded during the battle, and portraits Cranach made after it emphasise the scar that ran from his eye socket down his cheek.

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