
The Martyrdom of Saint Barbara
Lucas Cranach the Elder made this. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. More about this work
About this work
This is a drawing of a group of medieval figures and a tree. The image depicts a dense gathering of figures, all wearing elaborate period costumes, including helmets, robes, and armor. Their expressions vary. At the top, a leafy tree dominates the background alongside swirling clouds. The foreground hints at an interaction among the individuals, possibly a scene of discourse or judgment. Several personal items and tools are on the ground. The attention to detail and the use of line to create intricate patterns and textures are notable features of this work. This is in the style of Albrecht Dürer.
Description from the National Gallery of Art.
Lucas Cranach the Elder made this. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
How it was made
- Woodcut
- A relief print. The block is cut away around the lines, so the lines stand up to take the ink, and the sheet is pressed onto them.
Lucas Cranach the Elder
German, 1472–1553 · Born in Kronach; died in Weimar.
Cranach worked in Vienna before becoming court painter to the Electors of Saxony at Wittenberg in 1505, a post he held for decades. A close friend of Martin Luther, he painted the reformer and his circle many times and designed woodcuts for Protestant publications, while running a large, productive studio that turned out portraits, altarpieces and slender mythological nudes, including many versions of The Judgment of Paris. He followed the deposed Elector John Frederick into exile and died at Weimar.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The National Gallery of Art has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1943.3.2845
- Credit
- Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Type
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site












