Master of the Pala Sforzesca

The Master is named after the 'Pala Sforzesca', an altarpiece of 1494/5 now in the Brera, Milan. This has portraits of Lodovico 'il Moro' Sforza, the Duke of Milan, and his family as donors. In style the altarpiece shows a combination of the old Lombard manner of Foppa and other 15th-century Milanese artists, and that of Leonardo, who arrived in Milan about 1482. Hence, although we do not know who the Master was, the place and time he worked can be specified with some confidence.