Interior of left wing, St. Ursula altarpiece

The St. Ursula altarpiece in the Groeningemuseum in Bruges is the defining work that gives this anonymous master his scholarly designation. The interior of the left wing depicted here forms part of a multi-panel altarpiece illustrating episodes from the legend of the British princess Ursula, who according to medieval hagiography led eleven thousand virgins on a pilgrimage to Rome before being martyred by the Huns at Cologne. The Ursula legend was particularly popular in Cologne, Bruges, and England — all cities with which the saint's story was associated.

The narrative scene within the altarpiece wing requires management of multiple figures in an architectural setting, quite different from the master's isolated Virgin and Child panels. Architecture is rendered with the precise draughtsmanship typical of Flemish interiors.