One of the masters of the German Renaissance, Lucas Cranach was a follower and friend of Martin Luther and a strong defender of the Protestant Reformation. In 1505, Duke Frederick the Wise of Saxony summoned Cranach to Wittenberg, where he remained as court painter for the rest of his life. Cranach made several portraits of Henry the Devout (1473–1541), one of Frederick’s successors. In this painting, the sturdy torso and powerful head with carefully delineated features convey the duke’s forceful character.