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| [[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Mona_Lisa.jpg|right|frame]] | | [[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Mona_Lisa.jpg|right|frame]] |
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− | *Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/17t_Century 1600] | + | *Date: [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/17t_Century 1600] |
| *1 : a [[work]] done with extraordinary [[skill]]; especially : a [[supreme]] [[intellectual]] or [[artistic]] achievement | | *1 : a [[work]] done with extraordinary [[skill]]; especially : a [[supreme]] [[intellectual]] or [[artistic]] achievement |
| *2 : a piece of [[work]] presented to a medieval guild as [[evidence]] of qualification for the rank of master | | *2 : a piece of [[work]] presented to a medieval guild as [[evidence]] of qualification for the rank of master |
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| '''Masterpiece''' (or chef d'œuvre) in modern usage [[refers]] to a [[creation]] that has been given much [[critical]] [[praise]], especially one that is considered the greatest [[work]] of a [[person]]'s [[career]] or to a [[work]] of [[outstanding]] [[creativity]], skill or workmanship. | | '''Masterpiece''' (or chef d'œuvre) in modern usage [[refers]] to a [[creation]] that has been given much [[critical]] [[praise]], especially one that is considered the greatest [[work]] of a [[person]]'s [[career]] or to a [[work]] of [[outstanding]] [[creativity]], skill or workmanship. |
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− | [[Originally]], the term masterpiece [[referred]] to a piece of [[work]] produced by an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprentice apprentice] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journeyman journeyman] [[aspiring]] to become a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_craftsman master craftsman] in the old European [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guild guild] system. His fitness to qualify for guild membership was [[judged]] partially by the Masterpiece, and if he was successful, it was retained by the guild. Great care was therefore taken to produce a fine piece in whatever the craft was, whether confectionery, [[painting]], goldsmithing, knifemaking, or many other trades. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Academy Royal Academy] in London is one [[institution]] that has acquired a fine [[collection]] of "Diploma works" as a condition of acceptance. | + | [[Originally]], the term masterpiece [[referred]] to a piece of [[work]] produced by an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprentice apprentice] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journeyman journeyman] [[aspiring]] to become a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_craftsman master craftsman] in the old European [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guild guild] system. His fitness to qualify for guild membership was [[judged]] partially by the Masterpiece, and if he was successful, it was retained by the guild. Great care was therefore taken to produce a fine piece in whatever the craft was, whether confectionery, [[painting]], goldsmithing, knifemaking, or many other trades. The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Academy Royal Academy] in London is one [[institution]] that has acquired a fine [[collection]] of "Diploma works" as a condition of acceptance. |
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− | It probably derives from the Dutch "meesterstuk" (German: Meisterstück), and the form "masterstik" is recorded in [[English]] in 1579 (or in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language Scots], since this was from some [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen Aberdeen] guild regulations), whereas "masterpiece" is first found in 1605, already outside a guild [[context]], in a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Jonson Ben Jonson] [[play]]. | + | It probably derives from the Dutch "meesterstuk" (German: Meisterstück), and the form "masterstik" is recorded in [[English]] in 1579 (or in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language Scots], since this was from some [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen Aberdeen] guild regulations), whereas "masterpiece" is first found in 1605, already outside a guild [[context]], in a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Jonson Ben Jonson] [[play]]. |
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| Nowadays it is used for an exceptionally good piece of [[creative]] [[work]] or the best piece of work of a particular artist or craftsman. | | Nowadays it is used for an exceptionally good piece of [[creative]] [[work]] or the best piece of work of a particular artist or craftsman. |
− | Examples include: Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Michelangelo's David, Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, and Goethe's Faust.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterpiece] | + | Examples include: Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Michelangelo's David, Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, and Goethe's Faust.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterpiece] |
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| [[Category: General Reference]] | | [[Category: General Reference]] |