The Master of the Bamberg Altar (fl. c. 1420-1440) was a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 painter active in the Nuremberg

Nuremberg

Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...

 area. His name is derived from an altarpiece depicting scenes from the Passion

Passion (Christianity)

The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...

, painted in 1429 for the Franciscan

Franciscan

Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....

 church in Bamberg

Bamberg

Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...

; this may be seen today in the Bavarian National Museum

Bavarian National Museum

The Bavarian National Museum in Munich is one of the most important cultural history museums in Europe.-Building and History:...

 in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

. Stylistically, the painting appears to be descended from the work of the Nuremberg Master of the Altarpiece of the Virgin.

The Master collaborated with the Master of the Imhoff Altar

Master of the Imhoff Altar

The Master of the Imhoff Altar was a German painter. His name comes from an altarpiece, dating to between 1418 and 1422, commissioned by Konrad Imhoff for the Lorenzkirche in Nuremberg. Only the central panel, depicting the Coronation of the Virgin, and the wings, depicting several apostles, are...

 in the creation of the eponym

Eponym

An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...

ous altarpiece; his depiction of the Man of Sorrows

Man of Sorrows

Among the passages in the Hebrew Bible that have been identified by Christians as prefigurations of the Messiah, the Man of Sorrows of Isaiah 53 is paramount - the various theological traditions are discussed at that article...

with the Virgin and Saint John

John the Apostle

John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...

 forms the reverse panel. This is a characteristic example of his solemn and simple style. Another, more restrained work is the Man of Sorrows Standing with the Virgin, today in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum

Germanisches Nationalmuseum

The Germanisches Nationalmuseum is a museum in Nuremberg, Germany. Founded in 1852, houses a large collection of items relating to German culture and art extending from prehistoric times through to the present day...

.

The Master of the Bamberg Altar seems to have depended strongly on facial types and figure styles derived from Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

n painting; he seems especially to have known the work of the Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece

Master of the Trebon Altarpiece

The Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece, sometimes called the Master of Wittingau, was a Bohemian painter active in Prague around 1380-1390. His name is derived from an altarpiece from the church of Saint Eligius at the Augustinian convent of Třeboň...

, although his figures are more block-like and solid and less elegant than those of the latter artist. He would appear to be moving away from the International Gothic

International Gothic

International Gothic is a phase of Gothic art which developed in Burgundy, Bohemia, France and northern Italy in the late 14th century and early 15th century...

 and towards a more Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

-derived style, based especially on work from Altichiero

Altichiero

Altichiero da Verona , also called Aldighieri da Zevio, was an Italian painter of the Gothic style. A follower of Giotto, Altichiero is credited with founding the Veronese school...

.

Among the local artists who appear to have derived some of their style from the Master is Sebald Bopp

Sebald Bopp

Sebald Bopp was a German painter active around Bamberg. Little is known about him; his name is first recorded in Würzburg, where he was listed as a journeyman in 1474, but his earliest known work remains in his native town. This is a depiction of the Sermon of John of Capistrano, painted around...

.