Lucas Cranach the Elder - The Golden Age

• Title: The Golden Age
• Artist: Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553)
• Date: c.1530
• Medium: Oil on wood panel
• Dimensions: 75 x 104 cm

The painting "The Golden Age" is a wooden panel showing the Garden of Paradise in which naked figures of both sexes engage in sexual activities and candid fun. On the left, a group is dancing around an apple tree. In the center, one pair bathes and another lies together caressing. On the right, a further pair eats grapes. All around the rich vegetation of the garden are pairs of animals interacting in a peaceful manner.

The wall of brick closing off the garden from the outside world is made more striking with its red bricks in contrast with the other colors of the painting.