Cranach's Renaissance Adultery Test Spurs Artist Record $14.3 Million
- July 09, 2015 15:43
A Northern Renaissance masterpiece by Lucas Cranach the Elder brought an artist auction record of 9.3 million pounds ($14.3 million) at Sotheby’s in London on Wednesday.
A private American collector prevailed over several competitors worldwide for the Cranach. Painted circa 1525-1528, the work is considered among the best examples of Northern Renaissance painting left in private hands.
Titled “The Bocca della Verita (The Mouth of Truth),” the vivid image depcits a woman accused of adultery placing her hand inside the mouth of a lion sculpture to test if she’s telling the truth, according to the Sotheby’s catalog.
