Master M. S. ( hu, M. S. Mester, german: Meister M. S., sk, Majster M. S.) was a 16th-century painter in Central Europe in late

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and early

Renaissance art Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occ ...

. He was active in Selmecbánya (now Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia) in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...

, and probably led a workshop there. Since his true name is unknown, he is sometimes identified with various other Gothic "masters". German art historians generally identify him with J. Brieu, a painter from

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

. Also some art historians identify him with the engraver Master MZ, often identified as Matthäus Zaisinger (1498–1555), a German goldsmith from

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

. According to other research the master could have been a Hungarian painter called

Sebestyén Sebestyén () is a Hungarian-language surname and given name, which is an equivalent of Sebastian. It may refer to: Surname * Balázs Sebestyén (born 1977), Hungarian television presenter * Béla Sebestyén (1885–1959), Hungarian football pl ...

, whose name is mentioned in the charter of Selmecbánya in 1507. The art historian Miklós Mojzer noted the similarities between this work and that of the painter who accompanied

Veit Stoss Veit Stoss (also: ''Veit Stoß'' and ''Stuoss''; pl, Wit Stwosz; before 1450about 20 September 1533) was a leading German sculptor, mostly working with wood, whose career covered the transition between the late Gothic and the Northern Renaiss ...

and made the passion paintings in an altar now in the Esztergom Christian Museum and he called him Marten Swarcz.Obituary Miklós Mojzer
/ref> His art combining dramatic depth and colourful decorative formation is akin to that of the German painters

Martin Schongauer Martin Schongauer (c. 1450–53, Colmar – 2 February 1491, Breisach), also known as Martin Schön ("Martin beautiful") or Hübsch Martin ("pretty Martin") by his contemporaries, was an Alsatian engraver and painter. He was the most important ...

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer (; ; hu, Ajtósi Adalbert; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer (without an umlaut) or Due ...

, J. Brieu and mainly

Matthias Grünewald Matthias Grünewald ( – 31 August 1528) was a German Renaissance painter of religious works who ignored Renaissance classicism to continue the style of late medieval Central European art into the 16th century. His first name is also given ...

. Only seven of his panel paintings are known out of eight which used to decorate the high altar of a church in Selmecbánya. It was believed that the altar was in the Saint Catherine Church, but according to the new research the pictures were part of the altar in the Virgin Mary Church, later rebuilt into the fortress called the Old Castle. Now there are four Passion paintings in

Esztergom Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river ...

, Hungary, in the Christian Museum; the painting "The Birth of Christ" is held in Svätý Anton (formerly known also as Hontszentantal) near Banská Štiavnica, and The Adoration of the Magi is in the Museum of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the No ...

in France. His painting entitled " The Visitation" depicts the meeting of the two saints, the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

and St. Elizabeth, is in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

, in the

Hungarian National Gallery The Hungarian National Gallery (also known as Magyar Nemzeti Galéria), was established in 1957 as the national art museum. It is located in Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary. Its collections cover Hungarian art in all genres, including the works ...

. There are also three more-than-life-size wood-carved polychromed sculptures preserved which originally belong to the same altar. The statue of

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

is in the Saint Catherine Church of Banská Štiavnica, the statues of Saint Catherine and Saint Barbara are in the art gallery of the Slovak Mining Museum in Banská Štiavnica. At the Old Castle in Banská Štiavnica, a half-sized maquette of the altar is exhibited, featuring full-coloured photocopies of all the known panel paintings by Master MS, as well as fragments of decorative wood carvings which presumably were parts of the altar.

Gallery

File:Master MS Birth of Jesus (1500-1510).jpg, File:M. S. mester Keresztvitel (1500-10).jpg, File:M. S. mester Calvary (1500-10).jpg, File:M. S. mester Resurrection (1500-1510).jpg,

Books and articles about Master MS

* Meister M. S., by Genthon István, Berlin, 1932 * 450 Jahre Meister M. S., by Radocsay Dénes, Budapest, 1957 * Tanulmányok a Keresztény Múzeumban II. : M. S. mester zászlai, by Mojzer Miklós, Művészettörténeti Értesítő, 1965 * M.S. mester passióképei az esztergomi Keresztény Múzeumban, by Mojzer Miklós, Budapest, Magyar Helikon, Corvina Kiadó Vállalat, 1976 * Paintings of the Passion by Master M.S. in the Christian Museum of

, English translation of the book by Miklos Mojzer by Lili Halapy (44P), * "Magnificat anima mea Dominum" M S Mester Vizitáció-képe és egykori selmecbányai főoltára, catalog Kiállítási, Budapest, Magyar Nemzeti Galéria, 1997 * "Gemartert ward under Poncio Pylato.", Eörsi Anna * Megjegyzések M S mester Kálváriájának ikonográfiájához. Művészettörténeti Értesítő XLVII. 1998, 199-213. oldal * "Magnificat anima mea Dominum", by Végh János, M S mester Vizitáció-képe és egykori selmecbányai főoltára Új Művészet, VIII. évf. 10-11. sz. 1997. október-November, 20-22. oldal

References

External links

Master MS biography and images, hung-art.hu, English"Meeting of Virgin Mary and St. Elizabeth" - a book about the painting in HungarianA photograph of the half-sized maquette of the high altar with panel paintings by Master MSA photograph of the sculptures of Madonna, St. Catherine and St. Barbara, gathered together for a temporary exhibition at the Slovak Mining Museum in Banská Štiavnica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Master MS Hungarian painters Gothic artists Renaissance artists 16th-century German painters MS