old master

American  

noun

1. an eminent artist of an earlier period, especially from the 15th to the 18th centuries.

2. a work by such an artist.

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old master British  

noun

1. one of the great European painters of the period 1500 to 1800

2. a painting by one of these

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Etymology

Origin of old master

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Brown partnered with Slater, who was as good as his word, improving on the Arkwright model and turning out yarn that his old master in Derbyshire—to whom Slater sent a sample—labeled excellent.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

Now that it’s an auction house, the public can walk in free and view a regularly revolving slate of offerings, from rare books to old master paintings to dinosaur skeletons, depending on the sale calendar.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

"A glorious painting by an old master would be too striking," she said.

From BBC • May 7, 2025

But we can celebrate now what Bellocchio, a driven old master, has achieved: a heartfelt thriller of intensity and intimacy in which getting saved looks an awful lot like being lost.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2024

The old master said, ‘Dove, I want to speak to Johnny alone.’

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes