Master of the Lübeck Bible (fl. c. 1485 – c. 1520) was a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

manuscript illuminator An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...

and printmaker. He is named for a series of

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas tha ...

s designed for a Bible printed at

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...

, Germany in 1494. :de:Lübecker Bibel (1494) He has long been known as a contributor to several early printed books; only recently, however, has their style been associated to certain illuminated manuscripts. Relatively few illuminations have been ascribed to the Master. Those that have been share an almost frenetic sense of movement, combined with a distorted quality, that distinguishes his printed output. His figures have oddly elongated faces, while the spaces they inhabit have conversely been strangely foreshortened. The Master's city of origin is unknown; his close association with the Master of James IV of Scotland, who is thought to have been active in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

, may indicate that his base of operations was that city.

References

Master of the Lübeck Bible at the Getty Museum
15th-century births 16th-century deaths Early Netherlandish painters Flemish printmakers Manuscript illuminators Lubeck Bible, Master of the {{netherlandish-painter-stub