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

And, possibly, long enough to know how to get under the skin of an old master.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

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

This is an old master who has dispensed with tools and flourishes.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2023

It was now more than seven years since I lived with him in the family of my old master, on Colonel Lloyd’s plantation.

From "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass