Quick Facts
Biography
The Master of the Rajhrad Altarpiece (sometimes called the Master of Raigern) was a Bohemian painter active in the region around Olomouc and Brno before 1420. Likely of Moravian extraction, he derives his name from an altarpiece that once hung in the church of Saint Maurice in Olomouc; since disassembled, some of its panels are now in Rajhrad. These depict scenes from the Passion and from the Legend of the True Cross, and were painted before 1420. Two scenes, the Transportation of the Cross (Image) and the Crucifixion, are believed to be by his hand, while the rest are products of his studio. Also ascribed to him are the altarpiece of Náměšť, also dating to before 1420 and today found in Brno, and an Altarpiece of Saint Jacob of about 1430, today dispersed between Prague, Brno, Vienna and Nuremberg.
The Master influenced the work of artists even beyond Bohemia; work by the Master of the Saint Lambrecht Votive Altarpiece indicates that his style was known even in Vienna. Some historians conflate him with the Master of Ambrass, but not all agree with this assessment.