The Saint Bartholomew Master (or Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altarpiece) is named after the painting from the church of St Colomba, Cologne (now in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich), which shows Saint Bartholomew accompanied by Saint Agnes and Saint Cecilia. His real name is not known.
The painting was probably made about 1505-10. The panel of 'Saints Peter and Dorothy' in the National Gallery may have been the left wing of this altarpiece.
The Saint Bartholomew Master was the leading painter in Cologne in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Two other altarpieces by the Master survive at Cologne, and there are many smaller religious paintings and some portraits attributed to him. Like Stephan Lochner, his famous predecessor in Cologne, the Saint Bartholomew Master was deeply influenced by Netherlandish painting, particularly that of Rogier van der Weyden. His style is characterised by its expressive figures and by its distinctive use of ornament as a means of expression.
Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altarpiece
active about 1470 to about 1510
Paintings by Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altarpiece
Saint Peter clutches a Bible with a soft leather cover to his chest. In the same hand he holds two unwieldy keys – those to the kingdom of heaven, promised to him by Christ. Saint Dorothy holds only a tiny delicate flower to her breast, presumably plucked from the basket of blooms in her left han...
Not on display
The removal of Christ’s body from the Cross takes place in what appears to be a shallow gilded niche. The setting, with its stiff geometric decoration around the arch, may be intended to resemble contemporary tabernacle altarpieces, which included three-dimensional carvings set beneath a canopy a...
Not on display
This painting of the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ was probably made for private devotion. Seated on a cushion, its thick tassels protruding from beneath the folds of her draperies, the Virgin is about to breastfeed her child. The flowers in the vase on the right are pinks, called Nelke (‘na...
Not on display
Workshop of the Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altarpiece
In the central panel of this triptych (a painting in three parts), the Virgin Mary, surrounded by the golden rays of the sun, embraces Christ, her infant son. He holds an orb topped with a cross, a sign of his universal power, while she is crowned as Queen of Heaven by two angels.The frame is ori...
Not on display