Hamburg – Hamburger Kunsthalle (The Man of Sorrows by Lucas Cranach the Elder)

The artist of this work, which has the longer name of the “Man of Sorrows between the Virgin and Saint John” lived between 1472 and 1553 and was also a friend of Martin Luther. One of the best known paintings of Martin Luther was painted by Cranach, and he became known as of the most important artists of the Reformation period.

I’ve wondered why museums are quite cagey about the provenance of items in their collections, as when paintings such as this go on sale it’s often known where it has been for several centuries. All the gallery says about this one is that it was purchased in 1943 and was restored in 2015.