Object Image

Primitive People

The subject of this painting has been much debated, but it's generally thought to show an imagined view of a past and primitive society. Cranach made a number of similar paintings from 1527 to 1535. Since the twentieth century it has been assumed that the origin of the subject lies in a classical source.

Two pairs of men are fighting - violence which is more disturbing for its close proximity to three small children. While one woman watches the fighting with a look of shock on her face, another is staring at something over her shoulder, beyond the picture frame. A third woman seems unaware of - or unconcerned by - the chaos around her. Their primitive behaviour takes place outside the realm of...

1527-30
Oil on oak
50.2 x 35.7cm
NG3922
Image and text © The National Gallery, London, 2024

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