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Primary sourcePainting1546

Sketch of the Dead Martin Luther

Lucas Furtenagel · 1546

A drawing of Luther's face made within a day or two of his death in 1546 by the painter Lucas Furtenagel.

This death-portrait sketch shows Luther's own face, drawn within a day or two of his death.

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Brown ink and wash drawing on tan paper of a dead man's face in close view, eyes closed, mouth slightly open, with wavy hair and a heavy jaw. Handwritten inscription at bottom reads 'Is Raaxs. Kein Om.' and monogram in upper left.
Lucas Furtenagel, sketch of the dead Martin Luther, 1546.

About this source

What it is

This is a brown ink and wash drawing made by the painter Lucas Furtenagel, showing Luther's face shortly after his death in February 1546. It includes a handwritten inscription and the artist's monogram.

Why it matters

Death portraits like this were a common practice for recording the appearance of important people at the moment they died. Because Furtenagel drew it so soon after Luther died, it is considered a close, firsthand record of what Luther actually looked like at the end of his life, made by someone who was present at the time.

Look closer

  • Why might someone want a drawing made of a person so soon after death?
  • What details in the drawing suggest it was made quickly, from direct observation?
  • What does this image not tell you about Luther's life or ideas?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Martin Luther on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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