Editing Lucas Cranach the Elder (section)

==Early and personal life==
[[File:Podpis had cranach starsi.jpg|thumb|Signature of Cranach the Elder from 1508 on a winged snake with ruby ring, depicted in a 1514 portrait]]
He was born at [[Kronach]] in upper [[Franconia]] (now central [[Germany]]), probably in 1472. His exact date of birth is unknown. He learned the art of drawing from his father Hans Maler (his [[surname]] meaning "painter" and denoting his profession, not his ancestry, after the manner of the time and class).<ref name="CDA">{{cite web|work=Cranach Digital Archive|title=About Lucas Cranach|url=http://www.lucascranach.org/aboutlucascranach_en.html|access-date=25 January 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415074839/http://www.lucascranach.org/aboutlucascranach_en.html|archive-date=15 April 2013}}</ref> His mother, with surname Hübner, died in 1491. Later, the name of his birthplace was used for his surname, another custom of the times. How Cranach was trained is not known, but it was probably with local south German masters, as with his contemporary [[Matthias Grünewald]], who worked at [[Bamberg]] and [[Aschaffenburg]] (Bamberg is the capital of the diocese in which Kronach lies).<ref name=EB1911/> There are also suggestions that Cranach spent some time in [[Vienna]] around 1500.<ref name="CDA"/>

From 1504 to 1520 he lived in a house on the south west corner of the marketplace in [[Wittenberg]].<ref>Cranach plaque, Marktplatz, Wittenberg</ref>

According to Gunderam (the tutor of Cranach's children), Cranach demonstrated his talents as a painter before the close of the 15th century. His work then drew the attention of Duke [[Frederick III, Elector of Saxony]], known as Frederick the Wise, who attached Cranach to his court in 1504. The records of [[Wittenberg]] confirm Gunderam's statement to this extent: that Cranach's name appears for the first time in the public accounts on the 24 June 1504, when he drew 50 gulden for the salary of half a year, as {{lang|la|pictor ducalis}} ("the duke's painter").<ref name=EB1911/> Cranach was to remain in the service of the Elector and his successors for the rest of his life, although he was able to undertake other work.<ref name="CDA"/>

Cranach married Barbara Brengbier, the daughter of a [[Bourgeoisie|burgher]] of [[Gotha (town)|Gotha]] and also born there; she died at [[Wittenberg]] on 26 December 1540. Cranach later owned a house at Gotha,<ref name=EB1911/> but most likely he got to know Barbara near Wittenberg, where her family also owned a house, which later also belonged to Cranach.<ref name="CDA"/> Cranach had two sons, both artists: [[Hans Cranach]], whose life is obscure and who died in [[Bologna]] in 1537; and [[Lucas Cranach the Younger]], born in 1515, who died in 1586.<ref name="CDA"/> He also had three daughters. One of them was Barbara Cranach, who died in 1569, married Christian Brück (Pontanus), and was an ancestor of [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]. His granddaughter married [[Polykarp Leyser the Elder]], thus making him an ancestor of the [[Polykarp Leyser (disambiguation)|Polykarp Leyser]] family of theologians.