Primary Master of the Strassburg Chronicle
The Primary Master of the Strassburg Chronicle was active during the substantial period spanning 1412 through 1492. This designation generally refers to an anonymous draftsman or workshop responsible for works demonstrating transitional Northern European stylistic traits of the fifteenth century. The body of work represented in museum collections, primarily comprising prints and drawings, underscores the Master's engagement with historical and religious narrative illustration.
Five works attributed to the Master, including four individual drawings and one volume, are preserved in the National Gallery of Art. The drawings reveal a thematic interest in historical groupings, exemplified by three pieces depicting the Nine Worthies: Hector of Troy, Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar; Joshua, King David and Judas Maccabeus; and King Arthur, Charlemagne and Godfrey of Boulogne. Other representative works include the portrait drawing Maximilian, Duke of Austria, on Horseback and the religious scene found in a volume titled The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saints and the Hungerstein Family.
These important historical artifacts provide key insights into early printmaking traditions. The Master's compositions are valued as museum-quality examples of fifteenth-century graphic art. Today, much of the Master's associated material is in the public domain, ensuring that these Primary Master of the Strassburg Chronicle prints are available as high-quality prints for scholarly research and public appreciation.
