Portrait of a Man with a Red Beard

This man’s long, red beard and wavy hair immediately catch the eye, as does his serious gaze. We don’t know who he is, but he was probably painted by Lucas Cranach the Younger. The winged serpent in the top left-hand corner is said to be the mark of the artist’s studio.

This attribution isn’t entirely certain. Cranach the Younger worked in the studio of his father, Lucas Cranach the Elder. Both painters used a standardised, fine painting style in the studio, which makes it difficult to work out who painted what.