Master M. S. (, , ) was a 16th-century painter in Central Europe in late Gothic and early

Renaissance art Renaissance art (1350 – 1620) 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 occurr ...

. 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 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

, 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 ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

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

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. According to other research the master could have been a Hungarian painter called Sebestyén, 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 spelled Stoß and Stuoss; ; ; before 1450about 20 September 1533) was a leading German language, German sculptor, mostly working with wood, whose career covered the transition between the late Gothic art, Gothic and the North ...

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 ( , ;; 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 or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...

, J. Brieu and mainly

Matthias Grünewald Matthias Grünewald ( – 31 August 1528; also known as Mathis Gothart Nithart) 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 cent ...

. 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 (; ; or ; , known by Names of European cities in different languages: E–H#E, alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the righ ...

, 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 (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

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

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and St. Elizabeth, is in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, 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 w ...

. 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, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

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 Year of birth unknown