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

He is depicted relaxing, but the intensity of his gaze “gives it a menacing feel,” said Gregory Rubinstein, Sotheby’s head of old master drawings.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

A venerable London art dealer, Patrick Matthiesen was in his second-floor gallery office last year surrounded by stacks of books on the old masters when he opened an email that confirmed his worst fears.

From The Wall Street Journal

These feelings, amplified conceptually by Mr. Party’s reference to the copying of old masters, make for a surprising show in which less is more.

From The Wall Street Journal

In 1892, the Finnish Art Society sent her to St. Petersburg, Russia, to paint copies of works in the Hermitage and then, in 1894, to Vienna and Florence to copy old masters.

From The Wall Street Journal