Mikó Árpád szerk.: "Magnificat anima mea Dominum" M S Mester vizitáció-képe és egykori selmecbányai főoltára (A Magyar Nemzeti Galéria kiadványai 1997/1)

TANULMÁNYOK / ESSAYS - MOJZER MIKLÓS: A festő hagyatéka, ahogyan ma látjuk

Behem. In this context, this is the first occasion that we link the (lost?) missal Crucifixion-scene (which was recently inserted in the Codex Behem) to Visitation and Crucifixion. The background, the colours, the Schongauer-type composition, and the figures are all closely related to their counterparts in Master M S's art. Although the head and body of Christ are patterned on a different archetype in the illumination, this work could have equally been signed by Master M S and Master M Z. The same applies to Bag Makers, another illumination in the Codex Behem. The heads, the gestures and, last but not least, the colouring all have their close correspondents in the two figures of Visitation. The characteristically jittery drawing of the arm of St. Elizabeth's gown, the details painted with ochre in the one and probably gold dust in the other, are almost identical. The head of the Saracen king in Lille's Adoration of the Magi (for the archetype see Mantegna's Saracen head) and the old woman from Bathers in the Codex Behem (here the archetype comes from the figures of Master b&g) seem to be the work of one and the same artist, so much so that in our view the Master of the Codex Behem shares the same circle with Master M S and Master M Z. Of course, stylistic reasoning cannot be regarded as conclusive evidence. What we are still lacking is the emergence of new works of the same character, supported by documents. We must get around to identifying the Historical Master MS at last. This was first attempted in 1927 by Zoltán Miklóssy, who attributed the signature to Magister Sebastianus, a painter who had worked in Selmecbánya. This unlikely suggestion was soon rejected. However, the historical research, the research of the archives, should start precisely here: with the person of Sebastianus, the painter who also worked as a sculptor, and should be accompanied by the research of the surviving documents concerning the winged altars of Selmecbánya. This catalogue is the first step on that road. The painted panels decorated the high altar of the Parish Church of the Virgin Mary in Selmecbánya Castle which was turned into a fortress in the 1540s. The high altar was really erected in 1506. Its founders were Lénárt Heynitzky and his wife Dorottya, the daughter of András Duschlin, of whom we know nothing in particular. The new high altar of St. Catherine's Church in Selmecbánya was consecrated on November 16, 1500, and the surviving life-size figures of the Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus, St. Catherine and St. Barbara made up the shrine statues of this altar. It is quite probable that, when closed, the high altar of St. Catherine's Church was also decorated with sixteen paintings, which all disappeared without a trace. This altar was founded by the altarista and famous orator János Glober (Globor, i.e. Glogauer), known in the town as the preacher, along with András Hillebrand, a burgher of the town. In 1726 the altar was taken apart. Its large wings with carved panels (with their reverse side probably painted) were lost. The surviving painting and the statues of the two altars are stylistically related. The question is: What was the connection between the creators of the two altars? Could these altars have been made by the masters? Or perhaps the same workshop? The local artist Sebastianus was both a painter and a sculptor (he was referred to as such in 1499); in 1513 he fell victim to murder. He could not have been the same person as Master M S the painter; nevertheless he could have taken part in the sculptural work in both cases perhaps.