When Martin Luther died on February 18, 1546, during a trip back to his hometown of Eisleben, Germany, it is said that plaster was made and spread over his lifeless face and hands. Lukas Furtenagel, who also composed several sketches of the deceased reformer, is named as one of two individuals who applied the wet paste to the cadaver, producing a mold for a death mask that preserved Luther’s features.
Such undertakings were not uncommon for the time. They were intended, typically, as artifacts that facilitated the work of memory and mourning, offering a tangible connection to a life that was otherwise lost.
The eventual fate of Luther’s death mask, however, is uncertain. Some historians have held that the mold was not created at Luther’s death but only days afterward—or even that it was never cast at all. The original is nevertheless claimed to be housed today at the Market Church in Halle, Germany, though it was altered throughout the centuries for a life-size wax statue of Luther that once stood in the city.
