Barbara Jagiellon (1478–1534), also known as Barbara of Saxony or Barbara of Poland , was the daughter of King Casimir IV Jagiellon and Elizabeth of Austria, and the wife of George the Bearded , a Saxon prince of the House of Wettin. This marriage was of great political and dynastic significance, and the wedding ceremony took place in Leipzig in 1496, bringing together over 6,000 nobles from across Europe.

The Berlin portrait

The most famous portrait of Barbara Jagiellon was painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder. The painting is now in Berlin. It depicts the princess in a half-length portrait, wearing an elegant fur-trimmed gown and a white cap. On her left shoulder is the distinctive emblem of Cranach’s workshop – a snake with folded wings, which was the artist’s trademark.

The work was created after the subject’s death, most likely as part of a larger series of dynastic portraits. The painting was executed on a beechwood panel. It was formerly part of the Suermondt Collection in Aachen, and in 1874 it was acquired by the Berlin Gallery of Painting (Gemäldegalerie), where it remains to this day.

The portrait of Barbara Jagiellon is not only an outstanding example of Renaissance portrait painting, but also a testament to the Jagiellonian dynasty’s ties with the Saxon court. It also forms part of the tradition of ceremonial portraits of women from princely and royal families.

This work belongs to a series of four known portraits of Barbara Jagiellon, originating from the workshop of Cranach and his circle. The other versions are held, amongst other places, at the National Gallery of Art in Copenhagen, whilst others are known from the antiques market – one of the portraits was sold at Christie’s auction house in 2007, whilst yet another was once in the possession of the German Emperor.

Catalogue of depictions of Barbara Jagiellonka

1. Lucas Cranach the Elder (or his workshop)
   The Berlin Portrait
   1537
   Oil on limewood panel
   36.8 x 23.8 cm
   Gemäldegalerie (Painting Gallery) in Berlin
   Inv. No. 1312

   A half-length portrait of Barbara Jagiellonka in a fur-trimmed gown and a white cap. Above her right shoulder is Cranach’s workshop mark – a snake facing left with folded wings. The painting originates from the Suermondt collection in Aachen. In 1874, it was transferred to the Picture Gallery in Berlin. Before the Second World War, it was temporarily loaned to Wrocław.

2. Workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder
   Portrait from the Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede
   1537 (?)
   Oil on panel
   35 x 23 cm

   The painting is identical in format and composition to the Berlin version. Before the Second World War, it was owned by the art dealer Jacques Goudstikker of Amsterdam. It was confiscated by the Nazis. After the war, it was placed on deposit at the Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede. In 2006, it was restituted to Goudstikker’s heirs.

3. Lucas Cranach the Elder (workshop?)
   Copenhagen Portrait
   1537 (?)
   Oil on panel
   36.8 x 23.8 cm
   National Gallery of Art, Copenhagen
   Inv. no. KMSsp721

   The painting has been in the collection of the Copenhagen Kunstkammer since 1690.

4. Lucas Cranach the Elder
   The Copenhagen Portrait
   Oil on panel
   40 x 29.5 cm

   A half-length portrait of a woman in a dark dress and hat, identified as Barbara Jagiellonka. This identification is based on physical resemblance and the initials appearing several times in the links of her necklaces. During the German Empire, the painting was in the Emperor’s possession in Berlin. It was last recorded on the Swiss art market in 1994.

5. Workshop associated with the Saxon court
   Barbara of Poland in the Register of Saxon Families
   Circa 1520–1530
   Portrait miniature in a family register (Stammbuch)
   Saxon State and University Library in Dresden

   The portrait depicts Barbara of Poland (Barbara Jagiellonka) in a style typical of genealogical books of the time – facing forwards or turned slightly to one side, with the dignity and composure characteristic of formal portraits of women from the House of Wettin. This portrait stands out for its accurate rendering of her facial features: a strong, curved nose; the contrast between a narrow upper lip and a fuller lower lip; and expressive eyes – large, dark and deep-set. The consistency of these features with other reliable portraits of the duchess is emphasised, making this portrait one of the most authentic depictions of her.

6. Lucas Cranach the Elder (attributed)
   Triptych in the burial chapel of George the Bearded
   1534
   Meissen Cathedral

   The image of Princess Barbara of Poland was placed as a donor portrait on the right-hand panel of the triptych in the burial chapel of her husband, Prince George the Bearded, in Meissen Cathedral. The work was created after the death of Barbara Jagiellon in 1534 and was commissioned by the prince. The central panel of the altarpiece depicts Mary and St John, above whom hovers a procession of angels bearing the Arma Christi. On either side, depicted in kneeling positions, are the patrons: George on the left and Barbara on the right, behind whom stand two apostles each.

   Barbara is portrayed in a dignified, prayerful pose, with her hands clasped in a symbolic gesture of devotion. She is dressed in black, richly decorated brocade robes, with visible jewellery and a distinctive women’s bonnet, typical of married women. Her figure exudes dignity, whilst her elongated face, distinctly defined nose and focused gaze make this portrait one of the most authentic depictions of the duchess. The composition is of a high artistic standard and is commemorative in nature – both as an expression of George the Bearded’s personal mourning and as a public affirmation of Barbara’s piety and status as a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty and Duchess of Saxony.

7. Martin Hilliger’s foundry in Freiberg
   The tombstone of Princess Barbara
   1534
   Bronze
   Meissen Cathedral

   A slab set into the chapel floor. Barbara is depicted facing forwards, standing, with her hands crossed over her chest. She is dressed in a brocade gown with a fur trim, beneath which a pleated robe is visible. She also wears a bonnet and hairstyle characteristic of married women. She holds a rosary in her hand. She is surrounded by a band of floral and ornamental motifs in the Renaissance style, as well as the coats of arms of Poland and Saxony. The lower section features a multi-line epitaph in German. The work exemplifies the Mannerist style, with distinctly elongated proportions, and is considered a masterpiece of artistic craftsmanship.

8. Christoph Walther I
   Reliefs of the ducal couple
   1538
   Stone relief
   Oschatz Town Hall

   The façade of the town hall in Oschatz features bas-relief portraits of Prince George and Princess Barbara. Barbara was erroneously described as ‘geborene Königin von Polen’ (Queen of Poland by birth), which shows how strongly the memory of her endured in local tradition, but also how easily she was subject to mythologisation. The work is of a representative nature and serves as a reminder of the dynastic ties between Saxony and Poland.

9. Saxon workshop
   Altar panel
   Early 16th century (before 1534)
   Oil on limewood panel
   85 x 30.6 cm
   Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona
   Inv. No. 212829-000

   A depiction of St Anne with Barbara of Saxony as a kneeling donor. The figure of St Anne, with a halo and the inscription SANCT ANNA, seated with her arms crossed over her chest, dominates the composition, but the portrait of the praying duchess is of key importance here. Barbara is kneeling at the saint’s feet, shown in profile, in courtly attire and with her hands clasped in prayer. The composition was part of a larger altarpiece – the other wings depict, amongst others, George the Bearded and their son Christoph. The whole work was a family devotional commission. The painting style and proportions point to a Saxon workshop associated with Cranach.

10. The workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder (assistant)
    Hypothetical portrait
    Circa 1529
    Oil on panel
    59.8 x 41.6 cm
    Art Institute of Chicago (Room 207)
    Inv. No. 1938.310

    This portrait is most commonly regarded as a depiction of Magdalena of Saxony, daughter of Barbara. This attribution was based on a presumed connection with the portrait of Joachim II; however, later research has shown that the man in the portrait supposedly corresponding to it is Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Ansbach, and not Magdalena’s husband. Currently, some researchers are inclined to believe that the painting in Chicago depicts Barbara Jagiellon. The distinctive facial features – the nose, eyes and mouth – correspond to her confirmed portraits. Dressed in a dark, dignified gown, with a hair net – fashionable at the time – and an ornate bonnet, Barbara is depicted as a mature, dignified lady with a calm, focused gaze.

11. The workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder (assistants)
    ‘David and Bathsheba’ – a presumed depiction of Barbara of Poland amongst the figures at court
    1526

    In the painting ‘David and Bathsheba’, which is both a biblical scene and a group portrait set against a courtly backdrop, there appears a woman hypothetically identified as Barbara Jagiellon – the seated lady in the centre of the lower part of the composition. She is surrounded by children: Johann with a harp, Friedrich, Christina and Magdalena, as well as her daughter-in-law Elizabeth of Hesse. It is believed that the work was allegorical in nature and depicted not only a biblical scene but also a tribute to the princely family.

    The uneven quality of the rendering of the individual figures is striking – only the faces of Johann and Elizabeth are depicted with greater accuracy, suggesting the involvement of Cranach’s pupils. This identification hypothesis is not universally accepted, but the iconographic consistency and the presence of the entire family make it plausible.

12. Barbara’s religious endowments
    : 1513–1516 (liturgical endowments), 1521–1524 (chapel), 1534 (epitaph)
    Meissen Cathedral

    Barbara, together with her husband George, endowed a series of services from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday. In 1516, she also established a special ‘Jahrgedächtnis’ – an annual commemoration of those who had fallen in the service of the House of Wettin. As late as 1542, a gold cross donated by the duchess was still kept in the household treasury. These endowments bear witness to Barbara’s deep piety and her devotion to the Catholic Church during the early Reformation.