Study of a Stag c. 1520 - 1530

This is Lucas Cranach the Elder’s Study of a Stag. Look at the Stag: more than a mere animal, it carries the weight of centuries of symbolism. In ancient Artemis worship, the stag represented the untamed wilderness and the hunt. Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it morphed into a symbol of Christ, its antlers echoing the tree of life. Consider the stag in relation to Saint Hubert's legend, where a vision of Christ appears between its antlers, urging the saint's conversion. This potent image, seared into the collective psyche, resurfaces in Cranach's study, inviting viewers to delve into their own spiritual quests. The antlers themselves transform. Once symbols of virility and the hunt, now emblems of spiritual enlightenment. Notice the stag's quiet gait, a serenity that belies the symbol's turbulent history, reminding us that these cultural artifacts are never truly at rest. They migrate and morph, just like our own memories.