Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Encompassing centuries of change in Europe between 1300 and 1800, from booms of prosperity to bloody revolutions, Old Masters describes a wide range of artists. The informal term was derived from the title of an artist who trained in a guild long enough to become a master, such as Leonardo da Vinci, who studied in a Florence painters’ guild. However, Old Masters paintings, prints and other art is now used to refer to work made by any artist with a high level of skill in painting, drawing, sculpture or printmaking who worked during this era.
The 15th century’s expansive trade and commerce spread culture across borders. A vibrant period of art emerged, bolstered by studies of anatomy and nature that influenced a new visual realism. From Raphael and Michelangelo in the Renaissance to Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer in the Dutch Golden Age, artists expressed emotion, naturalism, color and light in new ways. El Greco and Paolo Veronese were leaders in the dramatic style of Mannerism, while Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens demonstrated the movement and meticulous detail of Baroque art.
Historically, most attention was concentrated on male artists, but recent research and exhibitions have elevated the impactful work of women such as Rachel Ruysch and Artemisia Gentileschi. In late-18th-century France, female artists like Adélaïde Labille-Guiard and Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun were prominent names. Nevertheless, access to the academies and guilds was highly restricted for women, and even those able to establish practices were expected to adhere to portraits and still lifes rather than the grand history paintings being created by men.
Find a collection of Old Masters prints, paintings, drawings and watercolors and other art on 1stDibs.
1730s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Graphite
19th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Carbon Pencil
16th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Gouache, Pen
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
1770s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Chalk
Early 1600s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Pen, Ink
1710s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Oil, Canvas
1860s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Carbon Pencil, Chalk
2010s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
Mid-19th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Graphite
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper
1740s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink
1740s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink
16th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Pen, Laid Paper, Ink
1740s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Archival Paper, Ink
17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1770s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Laid Paper
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
1710s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
1770s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, Vellum, Pencil
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink, Archival Paper
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink, Archival Paper
1850s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Carbon Pencil, Paper
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink, Archival Paper
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper
1780s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Canvas, Charcoal
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Archival Paper, Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Canvas, Charcoal
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink, Archival Paper
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Archival Paper, Ink
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink, Archival Paper
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Handmade Paper, Graphite
Late 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
Early 17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
19th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
1850s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Washi Paper, Color Pencil
Early 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
19th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
1820s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1750s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk, Ink
Early 17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Oil
16th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
1780s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
Early 1800s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
Early 19th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Handmade Paper, Laid Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite, Crayon
17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
Early 1800s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Pencil
1740s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
1790s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
India Ink