"Cranach produced portraits of his friend Martin Luther throughout his life. Nelson’s book explores how Cranach’s paintings and prints helped foster a strong Lutheran community in 16th-century Saxony."

Apollo

"The writing of a brief monograph aimed at a wide audience can sometimes be a treacherous undertaking. Scholars brave enough to embark on it must navigate between the shallow waters of the commonplace and the obfuscations of an academic discourse that in recent years has often tended to use works of art as screens onto which to project its presentist obsessions. Jennifer Nelson’s study
of Lucas Cranach, published in Reaktion Books’ Renaissance Lives series, rises to this challenge in an exemplary way. . . . her brief monograph not just a superb overview of all things Cranach but also rewarding reading for specialists."

Burlington Magazine

"Nelson’s new book overflows with original, fascinating insights. It provides an excellent analysis of Cranach’s career trajectory and the major themes in his artworks, deftly interconnected with the intellectual and religious developments of his time: an ideal exemplar of how to communicate serious research through witty, engaging writing."

Jeanne Nuechterlein, author of 'Hans Holbein: The Artist in a Changing World'