old master

noun

1. an eminent artist of an earlier period, especially from the 15th to the 18th centuries.
2. a work by such an artist.

old master

noun

1. one of the great European painters of the period 1500 to 1800
2. a painting by one of these

Word History and Origins

Origin of old master¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Developing country finance ministers were making the same half-joke about Britain, the old master, now being the crisis economy.

From BBC

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

This is a bit of a switch for Tefaf, the grand old art fair started in Maastricht, the Netherlands, which started off as a place to buy deaccessioned museum pieces and bona fide old masters.

From New York Times

Jonathan Swill, a 27-year old master's student from New Jersey, told the BBC he was moving to Israel after graduation, having turned down a place in a doctoral programme at Columbia.

From BBC

Jonathan Swill, a 27-year old master's student from New Jersey, told the BBC that he is moving to Israel after graduation, having turned down a place in a doctoral programme at Columbia.

From BBC