The late gothic panel painting in mining towns of central Slovakia

The subject covers the collection of master paintings of high quality which are a part of altar retabulums dated to the last quarter of 15th and the begining of 16the centuries. They document the artistic development of mining towns in central Slovakia (out of which Kremnica, Banska Štiavnica and Banská Bystrica are the most notable ones). An important part of artistic development formation in the region was taken by Benedictine Monastery in Hronský Beňadik. The conserved resource origins from many anonymous painters. Ouf of them a crucial part belongs mainly to Master of Kremnica (short time ago named Master from Lúčky, in hungarian Jánosréti Mester), and Master Jakub. The biggest response belongs to the masterpiece of Master MS - panels from the former High altar in The Church of St. Catherine in Banská Štiavnica from 1506. The painters workshop existence is not approved by documents. Their activities might be documented only by analysing the masterpieces themselves. At the beginning their typical features were influenced by Little-Poland art (altarpieces created for Dominican and Augustinian Monasteries in Cracow), Lower-Rhine art (Master FVB / Frans van Brugge, Master of the Life of the Virgin / Meister des Marienlebens), Upper-Rhine art (Martin Schongauer) and Swabian art (Bernhard Strigel)