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

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 • Feb. 4, 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

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

It was Doc Thompson, her old master, cigar in his mouth.

From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry