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34 The Three Graces

German Renaissance master Lucas Cranach the Elder was invited to serve at the court of the Elector of Saxony in the northern German city of Wittenberg where he led a large workshop there. Humanist values had taken root in northern Europe by the beginning of the sixteenth century, and classical scholars and poets began to gather at the Elector’s court. This was the environment in which Cranach produced numerous mythological works, such as this depiction of the Three Graces from Greek mythology. Cranach incorporated the traditional forms of the Three Graces seen in classical sculpture while demonstrating his own distinctive style. In classical representations, the central goddess was usually depicted with her back to the viewer, but Cranach depicted her facing forwards instead, her gaze cast towards the viewer. The alluring nude forms of the goddesses, combined with the hat and necklaces reflecting sixteenth-century trends in fashion, evoke images of real women rather than ancient deities, lending the work a more sensual atmosphere.