Master Of The Holy Blood

South Netherlandish painter. The name was given to the anonymous painter of the triptych of the Lamentation (Bruges, Museum Heilige Bloed) that belonged to the Bruges Brotherhood of the Holy Blood. Friedländer attributed 30 works to the Master, whom he characterized as a competent but unassuming practitioner, active in Bruges c. 1530. The paintings also show strong Antwerp influence, but the Lamentation triptych and that of the Glorification of the Virgin (Bruges, St Jacobskerk), both of which belong to the group of attributed works, have always been in Bruges, thus supporting the idea that the studio of the Master was there. The paintings also show affinities with the works of Gerard David, Albert Cornelis, Ambrosius Benson and Jan Provoost, who were also active in Bruges. According to Friedländer, the absence of donor portraits in the triptychs indicates that they were not made on commission but were produced for the open market, presumably for export.

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