BREU, JÖRG, THE ELDER. – Painter, woodcut artist, and stained-glass designer, born in Augsburg around 1475, died there in 1537. Active (after a study trip to Austria) in Augsburg from 1502, he proved to be a follower of Ulrich Apt, Elder (v.), BURGKMAIR, HANS (v.).
His principal works (1501) are found in the convent of Herzogenburg (Austria) and in the museums and churches of Augsburg, Innsbruck, Basel, Vienna, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, etc. In the two-year period 1514–15 he resided in Italy, where he came under the influence of the Italian Renaissance, as is also evident in his woodcuts for the Ratisbon Missal, the Ratisbon Breviary, and others. He collaborated with Dürer on the famous Prayer Book of Emperor Maximilian I.
His son Jörg, called THE YOUNGER, born around 1530 in Augsburg, died there in 1547, succeeded him in 1534 as head of the workshop. A woodcut artist, painter, and miniaturist, he was influenced by Venetian painting.