01/06/2026
The Master of the Orsoy Altarpiece: five medallions from a lost painting
The name “The Master of the Orsoy Altarpiece” appears first in 1922 (more exactly, the artist was named “Maître Bruxellois du Retable d’Orsoy”). This artist takes his name from the double-winged altarpiece in Sankt Nikolauskirche (Orsoy, Germany), that Max Friedländer attributed, in 1908, to an anonymous master closely working with Colijn de Coter (who is responsible for the outer wings of the same altarpiece). Max J. Friedländer also attributed to the Master the Nativity with a donor and the Circumcision in Brussels (Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique) and the Meeting of Saint Romuald and Saint Gummarus (altarpiece of the Life of Saint Romuald, Mechelen Cathedral). In 1924, Friedrich Winkler attributed the wings of the Praust Passion Altarpiece (Warsaw, Museum Narodowe) to the Master of the Orsoy Altarpiece.
The Master of the Orsoy Altarpiece shows great proximity with Colijn de Coter, who undoubtedly influenced him. The Master of the Orsoy Altarpiece's formulas and vocabulary demonstrate a continuity with the tradition of the Flemish masters - a continuity passed down by Colijn de Coter. The way both Colijn de Coter and the Master of the Orsoy Altarpiece render the texture effects, with heightened plastic effects, is very close. However, the Master of the Orsoy Altarpiece shows a more monumental aesthetic, with particular attention paid to a solid arrangement of the elements within the composition, and a vibrant use of the colors.
See, for example, the clever way in which the space is designed to arrange the figures within the composition (Christ in Gethsemane), the rich, opaque colors and textural effects (the Flagellation of Christ, and the Mocking and Crowning with Thorns of Christ), the heavy drapery of Christ (Christ carrying the cross), and the clear symmetrical composition (the Crucifixion).
Master of the Orsoy Altarpiece, The Five Sorrowful Mysteries, from a lost painting of Our Lady of the Rosary, Brussels, c. 1500. Oil on panel, Ø 11.1 cm each (framed together: 25 x 95 x 2.5 cm)
Price upon request