Lot Essay
An early supporter and enthusiast of the Reformation, and friend of Martin Luther, Princess Sibylle von Julich-Cleve-Berg married Johann Friedrich I, Elector of Saxony, in 1526. Though Cranach painted a marriage portrait of the Elector and his new wife in this year, the present work in which her dress is embroidered with the initials 'SHS' (Sibylla Herzogin von Sachsen) and 'Als in Eren' (All in Honor) was painted circa 1531.
The present lot was part of the famous collection owned by Ralph Bernal. Of limited wealth, Bernal amassed a huge collection, primarily of objets d'art but also including a very significant series of historical portraits. At his death in 1854, this was offered to the Nation for the sum of £50,000, but despite support from the Prince Consort, the British Government would only offer £20,000. In the end the 1855 sale at Christie's, which comprised 4294 lots, realised a grand total of £70,954 and took 32 days to sell (see F. Herrmann, The English as Collectors, 1972, pp. 293-9).
The present lot was part of the famous collection owned by Ralph Bernal. Of limited wealth, Bernal amassed a huge collection, primarily of objets d'art but also including a very significant series of historical portraits. At his death in 1854, this was offered to the Nation for the sum of £50,000, but despite support from the Prince Consort, the British Government would only offer £20,000. In the end the 1855 sale at Christie's, which comprised 4294 lots, realised a grand total of £70,954 and took 32 days to sell (see F. Herrmann, The English as Collectors, 1972, pp. 293-9).