Master Of The Legend Of Saint Barbara

Flemish painter and draughtsman. The name was given by Friedländer to the artist of a panel, now divided in two, illustrating the Legend of St Barbara (c. 1475; Musée du Saint-Sang, Bruges; Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels). The panel belonged to an altarpiece which may have originally been constructed as a triptych or possibly a polyptych, though only two panels are extant. The altarpiece had already been broken apart by that time. Two drawings by the Master for this work survive (Musée du Louvre; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). The rather perfunctory treatment of the modelling in the panel indicates that it was probably executed with an assistant. This master was evidently a follower of Rogier van der Weyden, though was also influenced by Dieric Bouts, and almost certainly worked in Brussels, since he collaborated on at least two occasions with other masters working there, namely The Master of the View of Saint Gudule and The Master of the Legend of Saint Catherine. While the Master's accepted output is quite small (about twelve works), one of the prime linking tendencies within his oeuvre is his extraordinary attention to detail. It places this anonymous master directly in line with the leading Netherlandish artists of the 15th century, both in his facility to manipulate paint with acute naturalism, and in his ability to create an austere, yet highly devotional image.

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