Master of Meßkirch
Encyclopedia
The Master of Meßkirch (German: Meister von Meßkirch; active c. 1515 - 1540) was an anonymous German
Renaissance
painter.
s (one main altarpiece and ten auxiliary ones) he painted for the Stiftskirche St. Martin in Meßkirch
between 1536 and 1540. His birthplace and apprenticeship are unknown, but a majority of scholars believe that he studied under an artist from the circle of Albrecht Dürer
. Hans von Kulmbach
and Hans Leonhard Schäufelein
are especially likely candidates. His work also resembles that of the Ulm school, so it is possible that he received training there. From the 1530s onwards his works seem to display familiarity with contemporary northern Italian painting. Hans Baldung Grien was also influential to his work.
Early on he worked for Count Eitel Friedrich III of Hohenzollern in Veringenstadt
. Later he was called to Meßkirch to work for Count Gottfried Werner von Zimmern.
Throughout the master's career his figures had Manneristic
proportions. While early on his colors were bright and iridescent, his coloration became calmer and more muted in his last years.
His most important works include:
are now rejected by a majority of scholars. On the other hand, the painter Peter Strüb the Younger seems ever more likely. He is recorded as an active and successful painter in Veringenstadt between 1528 and 1540. His father Peter Strüb the Elder also lived there, as did his older brothers Jakobs and Hans. The latter pair together were possibly the Master of Sigmaringen. Each of these painters also show the influence of the Ulm school in their works. The question is by no means settled, as Joseph Weiß
is another strong candidate.
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...
Renaissance
Northern Renaissance
The Northern Renaissance is the term used to describe the Renaissance in northern Europe, or more broadly in Europe outside Italy. Before 1450 Italian Renaissance humanism had little influence outside Italy. From the late 15th century the ideas spread around Europe...
painter.
Biography
The so-called Master of Meßkirch is named after the eleven altarpieceAltarpiece
An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
s (one main altarpiece and ten auxiliary ones) he painted for the Stiftskirche St. Martin in Meßkirch
Meßkirch
Meßkirch is a town in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.Meßkirch was the residence of the counts of Zimmern, widely known through Count Froben Christoph's Zimmern Chronicle ....
between 1536 and 1540. His birthplace and apprenticeship are unknown, but a majority of scholars believe that he studied under an artist from the circle of Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
. Hans von Kulmbach
Hans von Kulmbach
Artist Hans von Kulmbach was born around 1480 in Kulmbach, Franconia and died previous to Dec. 3, 1522 in Nuremberg. Hans von Kulmbach was the artist who created the Kraków St. John's Altar....
and Hans Leonhard Schäufelein
Hans Leonhard Schäufelein
Hans Leonhard Schäufelein was a German painter, designer, and wood engraver.He was born in Nuremberg, probably studied under Wohlgemut, and then became the assistant of Dürer, whom he imitated...
are especially likely candidates. His work also resembles that of the Ulm school, so it is possible that he received training there. From the 1530s onwards his works seem to display familiarity with contemporary northern Italian painting. Hans Baldung Grien was also influential to his work.
Early on he worked for Count Eitel Friedrich III of Hohenzollern in Veringenstadt
Veringenstadt
Veringenstadt is a town in the district of Sigmaringen, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 10 km north of Sigmaringen.- Municipality :...
. Later he was called to Meßkirch to work for Count Gottfried Werner von Zimmern.
Throughout the master's career his figures had Manneristic
Mannerism
Mannerism is a period of European art that emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. It lasted until about 1580 in Italy, when a more Baroque style began to replace it, but Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout much of Europe...
proportions. While early on his colors were bright and iridescent, his coloration became calmer and more muted in his last years.
His most important works include:
- The Falkenstein Altarpiece (1525)
- Frescoes from the choir of the Cistercian abbey in Heiligkreuztal (1532-35)
- The altarpieces for Stiftskirche von St. Martin, from which more than 40 panels have been separated and are held in the collections of European and American museums.
Identity
Art historical research has not yet succeeded in identifying the Master of Meßkirch. The proposed assignations of his oeuvre to the painters Jörg and/or Jerg Ziegler, Wilhelm Ziegler, or Marx WeißMarx Weiß
Marx Weiß the Younger was a late Gothic German painter. He was the son of painter Marx Weiß the Elder, and the brother of painter Joseph Weiß.-References:...
are now rejected by a majority of scholars. On the other hand, the painter Peter Strüb the Younger seems ever more likely. He is recorded as an active and successful painter in Veringenstadt between 1528 and 1540. His father Peter Strüb the Elder also lived there, as did his older brothers Jakobs and Hans. The latter pair together were possibly the Master of Sigmaringen. Each of these painters also show the influence of the Ulm school in their works. The question is by no means settled, as Joseph Weiß
Joseph Weiß
Joseph Weiß was a German Renaissance painter. He came from a family of painters: his father Marx Weiß the Elder and his brother Marx Weiß the Younger were also painters...
is another strong candidate.