Law and Gospel

Law and Gospel (or Law and Grace) is one of a number of thematically linked, allegorical panel paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder from about 1529. The paintings, intended to illustrate Lutheran ideas of salvation, are exemplars of Lutheran Merkbilder, which were simple, didactic illustrations of Christian doctrine.

Cranach probably drew on input from his lifelong friend Martin Luther when designing these panels, which illustrate the Protestant concept of Law and Gospel. The earliest forms of the picture are the panels in Gotha, Germany and the National Gallery in Prague; the Gotha panel is thought to be earlier. The paintings were the basis for many similar works by Cranach and his workshop, Lucas Cranach the Younger, and other artists in diverse forms such as printmaking, relief sculpture and household furnishings.