Meister Francke

Meister Francke (flourished 15th century, Hamburg [Germany]) was an influential German painter of altarpieces.

Francke’s name occurs in a contract of 1424 for an altarpiece for a Hamburg church. Nine portions of this work are now in a museum at Hamburg. Besides these, few pictures can be ascribed to him with certainty. One at Leipzig and one at Hamburg are representations of “Christ as the Man of Sorrows.” Francke’s style is that of a strong personality, and attempts to relate it to other schools have failed. With feeling for the decorative value of colour and for two-dimensional design, he combined a realistic rendering of detail and a somewhat exaggerated expression of emotions. Numerous altarpieces in the north of Germany recall his style, and his influence must have been widespread.