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Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

OLD MASTERS

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.

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Style: Old Masters
Study of a horse lying on its right side seen from the front
By Adam Frans van der Meulen
Located in Stockholm, SE
Provenance: Jean-Marc Du Pan (1785–1838), Geneva (L. 1440), passed to his brother Alexandre-Louis Du Pan (1787–1846); his sale, Geneva, March 26–28, 1840, included in lots 913–917; ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Crayon

Rare on the Art Market, A Drawing by Moitte, A Fashionable Couple, 1766
Located in Stockholm, SE
Pierre Etienne Moitte studied in Paris under Jacques-Firmin Beauvarlet and Pierre-François Beaumont (1719–1769). In 1771, he was accepted (agréé) by the Académie Royale de Peinture e...
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1760s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pencil

La Porcellana (A Market Scene of Porcelain Vendors)
Located in Greenwich, CT
An old master drawing that can live in a very contemporary environment! Remarkable use of line and expression - should be enjoyed in an important spot - can grace a kitchen or livin...
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16th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Handmade Paper, Graphite

French School 18th Century, Portrait of a gentleman, pastel
Located in Paris, FR
French School of the 18th Century Portrait of a gentleman Pastel on paper 25 x 18 cm Framed : 49 x 32 cm The mounting of this work is marked "Attribué à Saint Aubin", which means t...
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1770s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel

An Extensive Landscape with Trees From The De La Gardie and Sparre Collection
Located in Stockholm, SE
The Sparre/De la Gardie collection is one of Sweden’s most important collections of drawings. In 1969, upon the death of Pontus de la Gardie, the collection—comprising approximately ...
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17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pen

Frieze of antique figures, a drawing by the sculptor Antoine-Denis Chaudet
Located in PARIS, FR
Faithful to the neo-classical taste, sculptor Antoine-Denis Chaudet presents us with a frieze of antique figures executed in gray wash over pencil strokes, which is likely inspired b...
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Early 1800s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pencil

Leaning Nude Man (recto); Kneeling Man, Hands Tied Behind His Back (verso)
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
GIOVANNI FRANCESCO BARBIERI, known as GUERCINO (1591-1666) Leaning Nude Man (recto); Kneeling Man, Hands Tied Behind His Back (verso) Black chalk heightened with white on light blu...
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1620s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk, Charcoal

A fantasy head composed of three bearded faces
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
ATTRIBUTED TO GIROLAMO MIROLA (or MIRUOLO) (Bologne circa 1530/35 - 1570 Parma) A fantasy head composed of three bearded faces Pen and ink on paper 7 x 7 cm Provenance: Private col...
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16th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Salvatore Rosa (Naples 1615 - 1673 Rome) Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy Pen and brown ink, brown wash over black chalk 7 x 5 cm Bears the stamps of collections on the mount: lo...
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17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

16th Century by Andrea Boscoli The payment of the duty Pen and ink on paper
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Andrea Boscoli (Florence, Italy, 1564 – Rome, Italy, 1608) Title: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘵𝘺, 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘰 𝘥𝘢 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘰 Medium: Pen and brow...
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16th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Cardboard, Pen

Woman Bathing Her Feet in a Brook by Rembrandt van Rijn
Located in New Orleans, LA
Rembrandt van Rijn 1606-1669 Dutch Woman Bathing Her Feet in a Brook Etching on paper New Hollstein's 309, second state of II Signed and dated "Rembrandt f. 1658" (upper left) Created from observations of a live model, this work started as a figure study before evolving into a more imaginative setting. It remains ambiguous whether the scene is set indoors, as suggested by the cushion the figure is seated on, or outdoors, indicated by the foliage in the background. The omission of her feet, suggesting they may be dangling in a brook, adds a charming touch to Rembrandt’s imaginative scene. The figure seems unaware of the viewer, presenting a dignified yet sensual demeanor. The son of a miller, Rembrandt van Rijn is believed to have been born in Leiden on July 15, 1606. He studied first at the Latin School and then was enrolled at the University of Leiden at the age of 14. He soon left to study art—first with a local master, Jacob van Swanenburch, and then, in Amsterdam, with Pieter Lastman...
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17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Etching, Paper

Silvio and Dorinda, a drawing by Leonaert Bramer, Vermeer's first master
Located in PARIS, FR
This finely executed drawing in pen and wash is typical of the work of Leonaert Bramer, one of the most fascinating yet little-known artists of 17th-century Holland. In a nocturnal ...
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1650s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Gouache, Laid Paper, Pen

Early 19th century French School, Portrait of a man in profile, oval drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Early 19th century French School, Portrait of a young man in profile charcoal on cut paper applied to pink tinted paper Oval 58 x 47 cm (overall size) the portrait itself 41.5 x 28...
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Early 1800s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal

Jean-Henri Cless (1774-1812) Portrait of a young woman, signed drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Jean-Henri Cless (1774-1812) Portrait of a young woman in a landscape signed "Cless fec" for fecit on the lower left Brown ink and brown ink wash on pencil Size of the sheet : 31.5 x 22 cm Size of the motive : 24.5 x 17 cm very simply framed under glass without actual frame 32 x 22.5 cm This pre...
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Early 1800s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pencil, Ink

The Death of Coresus
By Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
JEAN-BAPTISTE GREUZE (Tournus 1725 - 1805 Paris) The Death of Coresus, circa 1750 Pen and brown ink, black ink tips, gray wash on black chalk, 455 x 385 cm Bears on the reverse in ...
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18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

19th Century Italian Miniature Painting Christ Garden of Gethsemane Angels
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Italian School, late 19th century Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane miniature painting, framed framed: 3.5 x 3 inches image: 2.5 x 2 inches provenance: private collection, Italy con...
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Late 19th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

17th Century Dutch Old Master Ink Drawing Christ on the Cross Many Figures 1674
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Christ on the Cross attributed to Jan Luyken (Dutch, 1649–1712) inscribed 1674 upper corner pencil drawing, watercolor and ink wash on paper over oard, framed framed: 12 x 11 inches ...
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17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Color Pencil, Ink, Watercolor

A Study for the Angel of Saint-Severin church in Paris, by Paul Flandrin
Located in PARIS, FR
After the restoration of the Saint-John chapel’s frescoes at the Saint-Severin church in Paris in 2022, the drawing presented here is a moving testimony to their creative process. It...
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1840s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk

Fine 1700's Italian Old Master Ink & Wash Drawing Roman Allegorical Napoli
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'Napoli' Italian School, 18th century ink and wash drawing on paper, framed within a light oak wood frame (behind glass) image size: 10.5 x 7 inches overall framed: 17 x 13 inches co...
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18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Louis-Félix de La Rue (1730-1777)  The Baptism of Carloman, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Louis-Félix de La Rue (1730-1777)  The Baptism of Carloman Pen and back ink on paper 13.3 x 16 cm Inscribed in the lower border "Le Pape baptise Carloman, fils ainé de Charlemagne" ...
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1770s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Fine 1700's Italian Old Master Ink & Wash Drawing Roman Allegorical Providenza
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'Providenza' Italian School, 18th century ink and wash drawing on paper, framed within a light oak wood frame (behind glass) image size: 10.5 x 7 inches overall framed: 17 x 13 inche...
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18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Louis-Félix de La Rue (1730-1777)  Putti playing around a sculpture, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Louis-Félix de La Rue (1730-1777)  Putti playing around a sculpture, a mythological scene Pen and brown ink on paper 15.4 x 31 cm In good condition The ancient mount has has a smal...
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1770s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

French school 18th Century, A mytholological scene with a couple, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
French school 18th Century, A mytholological scene with a couple, Pen and brown ink, brown ink wash on paper 11.5 x 11.5 cm, diameter of the main scene : 10,5 cm in a modern frame under glass : 33.5 x 33.5 cm This drawing by a particularly talented 18th-century artist - as yet unidentified - is notable for its mastery of pen and wash...
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1760s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Baldassarre Franceschini, Sleeping Cupid, Valentine's Day Gift
Located in Harkstead, GB
A beautiful 19th century copy by Giuseppe Rocchi of Baldassarre Franceschini's Sleeping Cupid, presented in a very attractive gilt frame with hand carved mouldings. A very peaceful i...
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Mid-19th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

A dazzling Venetian Regatta Boat Study attributed to Alessandra Mauro
Located in PARIS, FR
This stunning Baroque study depicts a regatta boat, a type of vessel developed in eighteenth-century Venice for the regattas organized by the Serenissima during visits by royalty and princes. We propose to link this drawing to the work of Alessandro Mauro, an artist who specialized in this type of composition, as illustrated by a drawing from him at the Metropolitan Museum. 1. Description of the boat The greatest decorative fantasy reigns in this preparatory study, which blends mythological and exotic elements with references to ancient Egypt. Our drawing is probably an initial thought, destined to be refined and clarified later in pen and ink (as evidenced by the ink stain in the lower right). A quadriga of seahorses guided by Neptune stands at the stern of the boat, shown well above the waterline (perhaps to outline its empty volume). One of the seahorses is ridden by a newt, while Amphitrite lies at the feet of the sea god. The center of the boat is occupied by a vast baldachin resting on four atlantes and surmounted by a figure riding an animal (a dragon?). Three figures sit beneath the canopy, one of them on a griffin-shaped seat. This allusion to Egyptian antiquity echoes the winged sun (sometimes a symbol of the god Horus, as in the temple of Edfu in Egypt) that adorns the sides of the promontory on which this baldachin rests. Another flag-bearer figure crouches at the stern of the boat on a raised seat, on the reverse of which is a crowned mermaid whose arm, extended backwards, rests on a mascaron decorated with a radiant face (Helios?) and whose torso surmounts an elephant's head. The heads of the rowers and their oars are sketched all along the boat, whose sides are embellished with elongated naiads. 2. The Venetian regatta boats An exhibition held in 2013 at the Ca' Rezzonico (the Venetian eighteenth-century museum) paid tribute to these regatta boats through studies and prints depicting them. The regattas organized by the Serenissima in honor of visiting princes and sovereigns were among the most spectacular ceremonies in Venice. Some important artists of the 18th century contributed to the creation of these extravagant boats which were given exotic names such as bissona, malgarota or peota. The specialists in this field were Andrea Urbani and the brothers Alessandro and Romualdo Mauro. They were born into a family of theater decorators in Piedmont, but little is known about their detailed biography. Alessandro was the architect of the Dresden opera house and of the St. Samuel Theater in Venice (in collaboration with his brother Romualdo), but also worked as stagehand and set designer in Vienna, Rome and Turin. A drawing produced around 1737 from the Metropolitan Museum (7th photo in the gallery) bears witness to his activity as a regatta boat designer. This drawing is a much more elaborate version than the one presented here, having been entirely reworked in brown ink. However, a figure at the bow of the boat, executed solely in black chalk, still bears witness to a technique similar to that of our drawing. It is difficult to know whether the boat depicted in our drawing was a project for an actual boat or whether it remained in the planning stage, but the front of our boat (Neptune and the quadriga of seahorses ridden by a newt) bears several similarities to that of a parade boat depicted in the print published by Michele Marieschi entitled Regatta on the Grand Canal, between the Foscari and Balbi Palaces (last photo in the gallery). This print is dated 1741, which could confirm that our work dates from around 1740. The area between Neptune and the quadriga that precedes him on this strange paddle-boat appears to be partially submerged, confirming that the waterline of our boat was probably intended to be much lower than the one shown in our drawing. The Correr Museum’s collection holds one of the most important collection of engravings and drawings devoted to these specifically Venetian Baroque productions. These boats were intended to last the duration of a festival. Today, they are only documented by preparatory drawings or prints that testify to the sumptuousness of their decoration. This taste for regatta boats lasted throughout the Venetian eighteenth century, and the conception of regatta boats also attracted great masters such as Giambattista Tiepolo, Francesco Guardi or Giambattista Piranesi...
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Mid-18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk

Dancing Couple (recto) Various sketches (verso)
By Hubert Robert
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Attributed to HUBERT ROBERT (Paris 1733 - 1808) Dancing couple (recto) Various sketches (verso) Red chalk and charcoal on the reverse numbered in pencil “4229” circa 1770 34 x 21 c...
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1770s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Chalk

Mythological combat scene with Roman soldiers on horseback.
By Virgil Solis
Located in Middletown, NY
Pen and brownish black ink on grayish-cream laid paper, 6 1/2 x 8 inches (165 x 175 mm), irregular hexagonal sheet with margins. Some archival repairs along the top sheet edge, scatt...
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16th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Laid Paper, Pen

St. John the Baptist in the wilderness , Ecce Agnus Dei (Behold the Lamb of God)
Located in Middletown, NY
Pen and sepia ink and wash on vellum, 8 7/8 x 10 1/2 inches (225 x 267 mm). In very good condition with some modern notations in pencil on the verso, minor cockling, and a 1-inch hor...
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Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Vellum, Pencil

The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew, a preparatory drawing by Alessandro Casolani
Located in PARIS, FR
This powerful pen and brown ink wash drawing is a study for an altarpiece depicting The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew. Signed and dated 1604, it was painted at the end of his life b...
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Early 1600s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Pen

Fine 17th Century Dutch Old Master Watercolor Drawing Hunting Party Landscape
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Hunting Party Attributed to Dirk Maes (1659-1717) Dutch. Figures in a Classical Landscape, Watercolour and wash on paper, Mounted, unframed image 6.75" x 9.75" (17.1 x 24.7cm)...
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17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Judith and Salome, a pair of oil paintings on canvas by Francesco Conti
Located in PARIS, FR
This widely referenced pair of paintings is one of Francesco Conti’s most successful productions. Francesco Conti is one of the finest painters of 18th-century Florence. In the shimmering colors typical of his best work, he represents two opposite characters from the Bible: the virtuous Judith, whose courage saves her people by cutting off the head of the invader Holofernes, and the depraved Salome, who under the influence of her mother becomes responsible for the beheading of the prophet John the Baptist. The artist's talent lies in his ability to treat these two macabre subjects with a light touch, presenting us with two attractive women who seem to twirl with glee amidst the severed heads... 1. Francesco Conti, the “Florentine Tiepolo” Francesco Conti is a major painter of the Florentine school of the 18th century; he can even probably be considered, along with Giovanni Domenico Ferretti (1692-1768), as one of the two main painters of the second quarter of the Florentine 18th century. Born in Florence in 1682, Francesco Conti began his apprenticeship in the workshop of Simone Pignoni (1611 - 1698), a disciple of Francesco Furini; he was also influenced by the Venetian Sebastiano Ricci. A protégé of Marquis Riccardi, he accompanied him to Rome between 1699 and 1705, where he frequented Carlo Maratta's studio. He settled permanently in Florence in 1705. Painted exclusively on canvas, the majority of his work consists of religious subjects, altarpieces or private devotional works. It is likely that Conti himself was a devout churchgoer, as evidenced by his affiliation, in the third decade of the eighteenth century, to the Society of the Disciples of Saint-John-the-Baptist, and his entry, at the end of his life, into the fraternity of the Venerable Society of the Holy Trinity. In Florence, Conti worked for the Grand Duchy's major patrons, including the last Medici - in particular Giangastone and Annamaria Luisa, Electress Palatine - and confirmed his role as a reference painter under the Lorraine Regency, as master of the Public Drawing School, which was closely linked to the institute responsible for the manufacture of semi-precious stone mosaics, then located in the Uffizi complex. Matteo Marangoni, an art critic of the early 20th century, praised his "brushwork full of elegance and true spirit of the 18th century", pointing out that Conti was "probably one of the best colorists" of the Florentine school of his time. These two characteristics led the art historian Paolo dal Poggetto to nickname him the "Florentine Tiepolo". 2. Judith and Salome, two biblical characters opposing each other These two paintings form a pair presenting two biblical episodes, which have in common the depiction of a "heroine" carrying the severed head of a man. While the Salome episode might at first appear to be an echo of the Old Testament story of Judith, each character is the exact opposite of the other. Judith, whose story is told in the Book of Judith, is a beautiful young widow from Bethulia who, accompanied by her maid, went into the camp of the invading Assyrians and won the confidence of Holofernes, the general commanding the enemy army. Invited to a great feast on the fourth evening, she took advantage of Holofernes' drunkenness to cut off his head. “She went up to the bedpost near Holofernes’ head, and took down his sword that hung there. She came close to his bed, took hold of the hair of his head, and said, “Give me strength today, O Lord God of Israel!” Then she struck his neck twice with all her might, and cut off his head. Next she rolled his body off the bed and pulled down the canopy from the posts. Soon afterward she went out and gave Holofernes’ head to her maid, who placed it in her food bag...
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1710s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fine 1700's Italian Old Master Ink & Wash Drawing Roman Allegorical Africa
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'Africa' Italian School, 18th century ink and wash drawing on paper, framed within a light oak wood frame (behind glass) image size: 10.5 x 7 inches overall framed: 17 x 13 inches co...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Fine 1700's Italian Old Master Ink & Wash Drawing Roman Allegorical Magnaminita
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'Mgnaminia' Italian School, 18th century ink and wash drawing on paper, framed within a light oak wood frame (behind glass) image size: 10.5 x 7 inches overall framed: 17 x 13 inches...
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18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Ruines Romanes - Roman Ruins - Ink and Watercolor by J. P. Verdussen - 1742
Located in Roma, IT
China ink and watercolor on paper. Hand dated. Conditions: Foxing on the top right of the paper
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1740s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

La Bataille - The Battle - Drawing by J. P. Verdussen - 1740s
Located in Roma, IT
China ink and watercolor on paper. Conditions: Two cuts on the centre of the paper. Three holes on centre-right, botton-left and top-left of the paper. Worn on the top left of the ...
Category

1740s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

La Campagne de Rome - Roman Countryside - Drawing by J. P. Verdussen - 1740ca
Located in Roma, IT
China ink and watercolour on paper. Realized in 1740 ca. Very good conditions. Includes passepartout.
Category

1740s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

FINE 18th CENTURY OLD MASTER CHALK DRAWING - ROMANESQUE FIGURES INTERIOR SCENE
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, 18th century Title: Classical figures within an interior. Medium: chalk on paper, mounted. Size: drawing: 11.5 x 13.5 inches Provenance:...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk

French School, Academic Study (Male Nude)
Located in London, GB
Charcoal on paper, 60cm x 42cm, (74cm x 60cm framed). The picture is framed behind museum quality non-reflective UV glass. Drawings and paintings of the nude were central to academ...
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19th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Carbon Pencil, Paper

Fine 1700's Italian Old Master Ink & Wash Drawing Roman Allegorical India
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'India' Italian School, 18th century ink and wash drawing on paper, framed within a light oak wood frame (behind glass) image size: 10.5 x 7 inches overall framed: 17 x 13 inches con...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper

French School, Academic Study (Male Nude)
Located in London, GB
Pencil on paper, dated (lower right), 55cm x 44cm (76cm x 64cm framed) Drawings and paintings of the nude were central to academic art training in Europe from the 16th century onwar...
Category

1850s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Carbon Pencil, Paper

17th C Dutch Old Master Ink & Wash Painting Biblical Figures Rembrandt Pupil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Figure being Comforted (Job?) circle of Willem Drost (Dutch 1633-1659) *See notes below ink and wash drawing on paper (Arms of Amsterdam watermarked) Dutc...
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Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Fine 18th Century French Old Master Ink Wash Drawing Cain & Abel Fighting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'Cain et Abel' Circle of Franois Devosge (1732-1811) French pencil drawing with watercolour wash on paper size: 12.25 x 9 inches private collection, France The painting is in overall...
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18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Washi Paper, Color Pencil

18th Century School, Courtyard of a palazzo, Architectural Capriccio, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
18th Century french School, Courtyard of a ruined palazzo, An Architectural Capriccio, Pen and black ink and black ink wash on paper 17 x 12 cm In good condition Framed : 32 x 26 c...
Category

1780s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Design for a large wooden confessional from the Santoni Workshop
Located in Middletown, NY
Pen and grayish black ink on cream laid paper, 11 1/8 x 7 1/4 inches (283 x 185 mm), with the center of the sheet removed to create a window frame. Scattered light surface soiling, a...
Category

Mid-20th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Laid Paper

Italian Old Master Ink & Wash Drawing St. Anne & The Virgin Mary with Cherubs
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Pietro Fancelli (Italian 1764 - 1850) bio details attached to the frame 'St. Anne & The Virgin' ink with watercolor wash on paper, framed framed: 22 x 16 inches image: 11 x 6.5 inche...
Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Soldier begging for Mercy a preparatory study by Jean-Marc Nattier (1685 - 1766)
Located in PARIS, FR
This rare drawing by Nattier is part of a set of preparatory studies executed in 1717 for one of the painter's first commissions, the painting commissioned by Tsar Peter I of Russia ...
Category

1710s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk

Louis-Félix de La Rue (1730-1777)  A Mythological scene, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Louis-Félix de La Rue (1730-1777)  A Mythological scene Pen and black ink on paper Bears an old inscription with the name of the artist on the lower left bo...
Category

1770s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

French Neo classical school, Allegory of Time, original drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Neo classical school, France, end of the 18th Century Allegory of Time, Pen and black ink on paper, gray ink wash 30.5 x 19 cm irregularly shaped In g...
Category

1790s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

India Ink

1600’s Flemish Old Master Ink Wash Drawing Biblical Figures Group on paper
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Figure Studies Attriubted to Cornelis Schut (1597 - 1655) Flemish ink drawing on paper, inscribed on mount size: 4.75 x 7 inches private collection, France The painting is in overa...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Princess from the Savannah
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The drawings showcase the beauty of the black women on one hand and also reflect the intimacy animals possess with females, especially horses, and princesses in royalty. They are muc...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal

Ayanfe Omo Oba
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The drawings showcase the beauty of the black women on one hand and also reflect the intimacy animals possess with females, especially horses, and princesses in royalty. They are muc...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal

Drawing Ink 16th 17th Flemish DE VOS Religious Martyrdom of James The Great
Located in PARIS, FR
Flemish school from the beginning of the 17th century (Circle of Martin DE VOS) Drawing Pen and wash 38 x 32 cm (58 x 52 cm with the frame) Inscription "Martin de Vos" Excellent cond...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Handmade Paper

Costume drawings for ‘Ambassadeur de Siam’ and ‘La Sultana Reine’
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809) ‘Ambassadeur de Siam’ and ‘La Sultana Reine’ Both titled lower centre, the drawing of the ambassador inscribed with colours intended for the prints, e...
Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pencil, Paper

17th Century Old Master Drawing
Located in San Francisco, CA
17th Century Old Master Drawing Old master drawing with figure and putti Housed in a handsome contemporary wooden frame Drawing dimensions 4...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

At Tunbridge Well
By Agostino Aglio
Located in Middletown, NY
Black crayon and graphite with white heightening on blue handmade laid paper. Adhered at all four corners to a period support, on which the title and an illegible date (perhaps 1815) appear to be written in the artist's hand. ________ Aglio was born in Cremona is 1777 and his artistic talent was recognized early in his life. He was promised a place at the University in Milan by the Holy Roman Emperor, however, his formal education was upended before it even began by the invasion of Italy and Austria by Napoleon. Aglio joined the war effort and fought in a series of major battles near Venice before becoming seriously ill. At the age of about 23 he was released from duty, and traveled to Rome to focus on his health, and landscape painting. In Rome, Aglio studied with the renowned artist Campovecchio. At the invitation of well known British architect William Wilkins (designer of the National Gallery and University College London), Aglio relocated to London in 1803. He made London his permanent home, and married Letitia Clarke in 1805. He enjoyed a lucrative career painting frescoes in the interiors of high society townhouses, country manors, and major London concert halls and theaters. Most notably, Aglio painted multiple official portraits of Queen Victoria...
Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Handmade Paper, Laid Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite, Crayon

Study of a Fate at mid-body, a red chalk attributed to Giovanni da San Giovanni
Located in PARIS, FR
This spectacular red chalk drawing depicts an elderly woman, her eyes bulging, her hand stretched out towards the sky. This disturbing character, who seems close to dementia, and the elongation of her arm with its Mannerist overtones, plunge us into the Florentine artistic milieu of the first half of the 17th century. The proximity of this drawing to some characters in the fresco in the Pitti Palace representing The Muses, Poets and Philosophers chased from Parnassus, the last masterpiece of Giovanni da San Giovanni, leads us to propose an attribution to this artist and a dating of around 1635-1636. 1. Giovanni da San Giovanni, the painter of contradiction We take here the title of the monography dedicated to the artist by Anna Banti in 1977, which remains the reference book for this artist. The son of a notary, Giovanni Mannozzi, known as Giovanni da San Giovanni, abandoned his studies to go to Florence at the age of sixteen, where he entered the studio of Matteo Rosselli (1578 - 1650) around 1609 and enrolled in the Academy of Drawing Arts in 1612. Around 1615 he produced his first known works, mainly frescoes for the city's tabernacles. He became famous in Florence for his originality, combining an obsessive application to the study of drawing and the reading of poetry and history with a disheveled appearance. Between 1619 and 1620 he decorated the facade of the Antella Palace in Piazza Santa Croce, a decoration that still partly survives today. The death of Cosimo II in 1621 put an end to the Florentine building activity and Giovanni da San Giovanni left for Rome to find other sponsors with the painter Francesco Furini...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk

Three drawings by François Boucher in a mounting by Jean-Baptiste Glomy
By François Boucher
Located in PARIS, FR
We would like to thank Juliette Parmentier-Courreau of the Custodia Foundation for her welcome and support during the consultation of Glomy’s Journal des Ouvrages. This spectacularly large "feuille de desseins ajustés" commissioned by François Boucher from Jean-Baptiste Glomy is emblematic of the painter's art and mastery of rocaille. It is also fully representative of the taste of this period in the field of decorative arts. The largest of these three drawings, placed at the bottom of the composition, is particularly interesting: dating from around 1756, it constitutes a modello (apparently unpublished) for the frontispiece of the "Catalogue des tableaux de Monsieur de Julienne"), preserved in the Morgan Library in New York. 1. François Boucher, the master of French rocaille The extraordinary career of Francois Boucher was unmatched by his contemporaries in versatility, consistency and output. For many, particularly the writers and collectors who led the revival of interest in the French rococo during the last century, his sensuous beauties and plump cupids represent the French eighteenth century at its most typical. His facility with the brush, even when betraying the occasional superficiality of his art, enabled him to master every aspect of painting – history and mythology, portraiture, landscape, ordinary life and, as part of larger compositions, even still life. He had been trained as an engraver, and the skills of a draftsman, which he imbued in the studio of Jean-Francois Cars (1661 – 1738), stood him in good stead throughout his career; his delightful drawings are one of the most sought-after aspects of his oeuvre. As a student of Francois Lemoyne (1688 - 1737), he mastered the art of composition. The four years he spent in Italy, from 1727-1731, educated him in the works of the masters, classics and history, that his modest upbringing had denied him. On his return to Paris in 1734, he gained full membership of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture with his splendid Rinaldo and Armida (Paris, Musée du Louvre). Although, throughout his career, he occasionally painted subjects taken from the Bible, and would always have considered himself first as a history painter, his own repertoire of heroines, seductresses, flirtatious peasant girls and erotic beauties was better suited to a lighter, more decorative subject matter. His mastery of technique and composition enabled him to move from large scale tapestry...
Category

1750s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk, Ink

17th Century French sanguine drawing of maiden's harvesting flowers
By (Circle of) Nicolas Poussin
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Circle of Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594-1665) Maiden’s harvesting flowers Sanguine on paper 8. ¾ in. (22 cm.) tondo
Category

17th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper

Old Masters figurative drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Old Masters figurative drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add figurative drawings and watercolors created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Michela De Vito, Jan Pieter Verdussen, Jan Peeter Verdussen, and Augustin de Saint-Aubin. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Watercolor and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Old Masters figurative drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 1.89 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative drawings and watercolors made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $121 and tops out at $50,000, while the average work sells for $1,001.

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