Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altarpiece

The Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altarpiece (sometimes called the Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altar ) was an Early Netherlandish painter active in Germany, mostly Cologne, between 1475 Despite his anonymity, he is one of the most recognizable artists of the early Renaissance period in German art.

It has been said that the Master is the last "Gothic" painter to be active in Cologne. Approximately twenty-five paintings have been attributed to him whose influence may be seen in the Munich Madonna and Child with Saint Anne. Stylistically, the Master's paintings are characterized by their use of bright, enamel-like colors offers a clue to his cultural origins. It is further suggested that he emigrated to Cologne in about 1480.

Collections The Master's work may be found in a number of international museum collections. Three panels from the altarpiece which gave him his name are in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, and the Deposition for the Order of St Anthony is at the Musée du Louvre. There are four works in the National Gallery, London and a double-sided panel of the Journey of the Magi (or Three Kings) and the Assumption of Mary at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne. A Death of the Virgin formerly in Berlin is now lost.

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