Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Although his specific identity is unknown, the artist referred to as the Master of the Holy Kinship was one of the most prominent artists working in Cologne around 1500. He supervised a large workshop, which produced paintings and altarpieces for the local nobility and religious institutions. Cologne’s geographic proximity to the Low Countries likely had an influence on the Master’s style, which reveals his strong familiarity with fifteenth-century Netherlandish oil painting by artists such as Jan van Eyck and Hugo van der Goes. Like those artists, the Master’s work is characterized by vivid colors, a meticulous attention to detail, crowded compositions, and a steep perspective.