Law and Gospel in Paint - Part 1
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| Photo taken at Minneapolis Institute of Art |
This theme became one of the defining markers of evangelical identity through paintings, reliefs, woodcuts, title pages of books (including the Bible), coins, and even stove tiles. But its purpose was to teach the faith in visual form. It's no coincidence that this painting was created in 1529 (Though there is a woodcut title page that appears in 1528). There was a turn in emphasis in the later 1520s in which Luther and the Wittenberg reformers began to establish what reform would look like in Germany through a variety of things, such as, a visitation and the printing of catechisms. This painting theme was a part of that emphasis in cultivating a culture that was centered around the message of faith alone in Christ.
The painting has been known by many names, depending on the one cataloging it (Law and Gospel, Law and Grace, Damnation and Redemption, The Allegory of Law and Grace, etc.). I simply refer to it as Law and Gospel. There were several different renditions with subtle but important nuances throughout Cranach's career. For the sake of simplicity, I will only focus on this painting (future posts will discuss the nuances between the paintings). This painting is in the configuration regularly referred to as the "Gotha type."[1] The name comes from its provenance: Stiftung Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha, Germany.
In January of this year, I had the opportunity to see this painting in person at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It was the first time for many important Reformation pieces to make their way to the US. In addition, some pieces were also sent to the Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan and Pitts Theology Library of Emory University in Atlanta. The biggest reason for this was that several sites in Germany conducted renovations in preparation for 2017 and allowed the pieces to be sent out. This particular painting is of great importance to me because, I have spent roughly the last three-four years studying the painting theme and scholarship surrounding it for my dissertation. So it was great opportunity to see in person rather than on a computer screen.
In this post, I simply hope to give an introduction to the elements of the painting while reserving most of the interpretation for later posts (See here). That being said, interpretations run the gamut. Several art historians claim it to be an example of making "art" subservient to ideas. Several pastors and theologians praise it is one of the finest examples of the marriage of art and theology. I'm not going to argue for either in these posts. But, at the very least, this painting theme deserves consideration for its lasting impact on the Reformation and Western art.
Description
In order to organize my description, I will lay it out according to the columns of biblical text located along the bottom of the painting. I've included my English translations of the German rather than simply giving a popular English translation of the Bible passages. The German used in the painting actually illumines some key features. |
| Lucas Cranach the Elder, Law and Gospel, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_and_Gospel#/media/File:Cranach_Gesetz_und_Gnade_Gotha.jpg |
The Law Side (Left)
First Column
- “Concerning the Rainbow and Judgment: 'God’s wrath is revealed from heaven over all men living godlessly and unjustly.' Romans 1:18. ‘We are all sinners and fall short of the prize so that we are not able to boast before God.' Romans 3:23, 27.”
The "rainbow" refers to the bow on which Christ is seated in the distance. This image of Christ seated in judgment was a common motif throughout the late-medieval period in northern Europe. It was often placed above the entry way of churches and became a continual reminder of the last judgment. In this image, on Christ's left side, there is a sword signifying judgment. On his right side is a lily signifying resurrection life. In most depictions of this scene, on Christ's right under the lily, the redeemed enter into heaven while the condemned are sentenced to hell. In this image, placed on the side of the law, Christ clearly points only to the sword of judgment (In future posts, I will talk about what Luther had to say about this image). Below, Adam and Eve commit the first sin while the sinner is being driven toward the flames of hell.Second Column
- "Concerning the Devil and Death: Sin is the spear of death but the law is the power of sin.' 1 Corinthians 15:56. 'The law brings about wrath.' Romans 4:15.”
Above this scene, Cranach has depicted the devil and death chasing the sinner toward hell. Helplessly, he lifts up his hands and looks back across the scene. As I argue in my dissertation, his eyes can be traced across the scene to Christ resurrected on the Gospel side. As some scholars have noted, the German translation of 1 Cor. 15:56 passage uses the word "spies" (spear) for the "sting" of death. This is actually a quite literal translation of the Greek (κέντρον). In the scene, death holds a spear as he prods the man. The devil is depicted as a beastly figure with his stomach as what is called a "hellmouth." Inside, several types of vices are depicted.
Third Column
- "Concerning Moses and the Prophets: 'Through the law comes knowledge of sin.' Romans 3:20. Matthew 11:13: 'The law and prophets go up to the time of John.'”
Above this text, Moses is the most prominent figure. He holds the tablets of the Ten Commandments and reveals to the man that he has not kept the law. There is little consensus on who the other prophets are.
Somewhat unrelated to the texts, there is a background scene from Numbers 21 where the Israelites have been bitten by the fiery serpents in the desert. Yet, God has mercy upon them and has Moses set up a bronze serpent so that all who look upon it will be saved. This image has a rather mediating position between law and gospel, because it displays both at the same time: judgment and redemption. In the Prague type, it is often accompanied by the label, "Figure of Justification." In other versions of the Law and Gospel theme, the image appears on the gospel side of the painting.
Central Tree
The central tree evenly divides the painting between to the two halves. But it also distinguishes between the two sides. The Law side is barren while the Gospel Side is abundant with foliage. On the trunk of the tree Cranach has dated the painting as 1529 along with his signature of a flying serpent with a ring in its mouth.
The Gospel Side (Right)
Fourth Column
- “Concerning Man: 'The just live by his faith.' Romans 1:17. 'We hold that a man is justified by faith apart from work of the law.' Romans 3:28.”
Above this column the man is at peace with his hands folded. He looks upon Christ on the cross with faith and trust not by his work. That is, he merely receives what Christ has accomplished for him.
Further in the distance there are mountains and a cityscape. There is no direct indication as to what they refer. Though the Mount of Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem are the perhaps the most likely. Though, the city may also refer to Bethlehem because of the scene of shepherds who receive news from the angels of the Christ's child's birth.
Fifth Column
- “Concerning the Baptizer: Behold that is God’s Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.' ~ Saint John the Baptist.' John 1:29. 'In the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Amen.' 1 Peter 1:2.”
Here John the Baptist points the believer to Christ on the cross. The text notes that Christ is the Lamb of God, the sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world. In other renditions of this theme, John points to the Lamb or with both hands to Christ on the cross and the Lamb. Cranach has also depicted 1 Peter 1:2 by painting a stream of blood shooting from Christ's side onto the man. The Holy Spirit depicted as a dove comes through the mid-stream bringing sanctification.Sixth Column
- “Concerning Death and the Lamb: 'Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your spear? Hell, where is your victory?' 'Give thanks to God who has given us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.' 1 Corinthians 15:54b-55, 57.”
Above the final column, the Lamb stands triumphant over death and the devil. The taunt of 1 Cor. 15 points out the fact that Death no longer has its spear like on the law side. The devil is depicted more closely to the apocalyptic beast who has now been defeated. The whole scene is situated in the context of the Resurrection with both an empty tomb and sarcophagus. Further up the scene, Christ resurrected begins his ascent into heaven while holding the standard of victory and giving the sign of blessing. He is much larger and more prominent than the image of Christ on the law side. In other words, Cranach is emphasizing that the predominant view of Christ holds on to His grace and blessing.
This post is a part of a series:
LAW AND GOSPEL IN PAINT - PART 1 (Gotha Panel)
LAW AND GOSPEL IN PAINT - PART 2 (Gotha Panel)
LAW AND GOSPEL IN PAINT - PART 3 (Prague Panel)
LAW AND GOSPEL IN PAINT - PART 4 (Prague Panel)
LAW AND GOSPEL IN PAINT - PART 5 (The Dying Man)
LAW AND GOSPEL IN PAINT - PART 6 (Continuation of the Theme)
Presentation on Cranach's Law and Gospel Painting (Theological Symposium, Concordia Seminary St. Louis, 2022)
1. Just for reference at this point, the other types are the Prague type and the Weimar type. Click the links to have a look. The name of the type comes from the city of the museum—or in the case of Weimar, the church—that owns the first example of the painting type.
A Few English Resources:
Christensen,
Carl C. Art and the Reformation in
Germany. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1979.
Cranach, Law and Gospel (Gotha), http://lucascranach.org/DE_SMG_SG676
Dillenberger, John. Images and Relics: Theological Perceptions
and Visual Images in Sixteenth-Century Europe. Oxford/New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999.
Ehresmann, Donald L. “The
Brazen Serpent, A Reformation Motif in the Works of Lucas Cranach the Elder and
His Workshop.” Marsyas 13 (1966-67):
32-47.
Koerner, Joseph Leo.
The Reformation of the Image. Chicago: Chicago University Press,
2004.
Meinardus, Otto. “Law
and Gospel in Iconography.” Lutheran
Quarterly 4 (1990): 143-59.
Noble, Bonnie. Lucas Cranach
the Elder: Art and Devotion of the German Reformation. Lanham, MD:
University Press of America, 2009.
Ozment, Steven E. The
Serpent and the Lamb: Cranach, Luther, and the Making of the Reformation.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011.
Pettegree, Andrew. “‘The
Law and the Gospel’: The Evolution of an Evangelical Pictorial Theme in the
Bibles of the Reformation.” In The Bible
as Book: The Reformation, edited by Orlaith O’Sullivan, 123-35. London: Oak
Knoll Press, 2000.
Weimer, Christoph. “Luther and Cranach on
Justification in Word and Image.” Lutheran
Quarterly 18 (2004): 387-405.
Foreign Language:
Bach-Nielsen,
Carsten. “Cranach, Luther und servum arbitrium.” Analecta
Romana Instituti Danici 19 (1990): 145-84.
Cottin, Jérôme. “Loi et
Évangile chez Luther et Cranach.” Revue
d'histoire et de philosophie religieuses 76, no. 3 (1996):
293-314.
Fleck, Miriam
Verena. Ein tröstlich gemelde: Die
Glaubensallegorie “Gesetz und Gnade” in Europa zwischen Spätmittelalter und
Frühes Neuzeit. Korb: Didymos-Verlag, 2010.
Ohly, Friedrich. Gesetz und
Evangelium Zur Typologie bei Luther und Lucas Cranach zum Blutstrahl der Gnade
in der Kunst. Munich:
Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung GmBH and Co., 1985.
Thulin,
Oskar. Cranach-Altäre der Reformation. Berlin:
Evangelische Verlagsantalt, 1955.
Weimer, Christoph. Luther, Cranach und die Bilder. Stuttgart: Calwer-Verlag, 1999.
Weniger, Matthias. “‘Durch und durch lutherisch’?: Neues zum
Ursprung der Bilder von Gesetz und Gnade.” Münchner
Jahrbuch der bildenden Kunst 55 (2004): 115-34.
