Master of the Holy Blood (Bruges, active in 1520)

Master of the Holy Blood (Bruges, active in 1520)
"Adoration of the Magi"
Triptych. Tempera on panel. Open measurements: 115,5 x 171 cm. Closed measurements: 115,5 x 87 cm.
The artist was a Flemish painter from Antwerp who was active in Bruges around 1520. He was discovered for the first time, according to the Städel Museum, by the Belgian art historian Georges Hulin de Loo (Ghent, 1862 - Brussels, 1945). The name we know the artist by, Master of the Holy Blood, was given to him because of his most famous painting, the "Triptych of the crucifixion" which is kept in the Basilica of the Holy Blood in Bruges, the place for which it was conceived.
As the Prado Museum explains, in spite of forming part of the circle of Ambrosius Benson, Adriaen Isenbrandt and Albert Cornelis, he was influenced by numerous other Belgian artists. In fact, the Städel Museum notes that his stay in Bruges could have been preceded by an education in Antwerp, the possible birthplace of the artist, where he would have been given classes by the most important Flemish painter from the first half of the 16th century, Quinten Massys (Leuven, 1466 - Antwerp, 1530). The Master of Frankfurt also exercised an influence, with his expressive masculine figures, as did Joachim Patinir with his landscapes, and even Leonardo da Vinci, who could have influenced him with his caricature drawings.
It is possible that the prolific painter, who worked both for the free market as well as for the Church and private patrons, painted part of his work for exportation, a fact which can explain why important museums in different countries keep some of his works. Highlights among these are the "Ecce Homo" and "The Annunciation, Saint Jerome and Saint John the Baptist" triptychs in the Museo Nacional del Prado; "The Descent from the Cross", in the MET Museum; the panel of "Saint Anne, the Virgin Mary and the Child" in the Städel Museum; and the panel of "Saint Luke painting the Virgin and Child", kept in the Fogg Museum and which had previously been attributed to the Belgian Massys, who had been his master.
We can also enjoy his legacy in the Royal Chapel of Granada Cathedral, with another "Descent from the Cross"; or in the Royal Museums of Fine Art of Belgium, the country of his birth, with "The death of Lucretia"; as well as in the ­Sint-Jakobskerk church in Bruges, where the "Madonna and Child surrounded by Anne, Joachim and Sybils" can be seen.

Bibliographic references:
- Museo Nacional del Prado. (s.f.). Maestro de la Santa Sangre. https://www.museodelprado.es/aprende/enciclopedia/voz/santa-sangre-maestro-de-la/e5fec03d-f380-4f88-ad1a-800e19e1d38f
- Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie. (s.f.). Master of the Holy Blood. https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/en/person/master-of-the-holy-blood
- Harvard Art Museums. (s.f.). Master of the Holy Blood. https://hvrd.art/o/232000
- Metropolitan Museum of Art. (s.f.). The Descent from the Cross. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437008
- Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie [RDK]. (s.f.). Meester van het Heilig Bloed. https://rkd.nl/nl/explore/images/32968

We would like to thank Ana Diéguez of the Moll Institute for her study of this work. Although the painting is not accompanied by a written certificate, information can be obtained by telephoning Doctor Diéguez.