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Cranach.
German family of painters, draughtsmen and printmakers. They were active in Saxony during the 16th century. (1) Lucas Cranach I adopted his surname from his birthplace, Kronach, a town of Upper Franconia in the diocese of Bamberg. He was the foremost member of the family of artists by that name. His father and teacher was a painter by the name of Hans Moller or Maler (1448–1491/2). None of his work is known to survive, but his large house in Kronach on the Marktplatz suggests that he was successful. The name Maler (‘Painter’) has led to some uncertainty as to whether it was simply a reference to Hans’s profession, but contemporary references to ‘pictor Lucas Moller’ or ‘maler Moller’ confirm that it had become the family surname. The still repeated belief that the name was Sonder or Sunder apparently results from a confusion with another family in Kronach, which was related to Lucas the elder through marriage (Koepplin, 1966). The following members have entries:
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