Old Masters Interior 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
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...
Category
1760s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pencil
Still Life
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This drawing by Johann Rudolf Feyerabend, known as Lelong, is a finely executed still life that captures a rustic yet elegant composition. The detailed rendering of objects—such as t...
Category
Late 18th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Design for a large wooden confessional from the Fantoni Workshop
Located in Middletown, NY
A beautiful 17th century design for a confessional from the most important woodshop in Bergamo.
Pen and grayish black ink on cream laid paper, 11 1/8 x 7 1/4 inches (283 x 185 mm), ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Laid Paper, Ink
18th Century Roman School , A Palazzo with antiques, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
18th Century Roman School
A Palazzo with antiques
Brown ink and pen, brown ink wash on paper
12.5 x 20 cm
Framed : 28,5 x 35.5
This nice drawing represents a genre scene, with a nobleman, priests, a mother and her children...
Category
Early 18th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
Interior of the Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Jan Goeree (Middelburg 1670 – Amsterdam 1731)
Interior of the Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam (c. 1724)
Red chalk for the architecture, pen and black ink, grey wash on paper
Composition reversed in preparation for engraving
25 × 17.5 cm
Watermark: Hunting horn, Churchill 318 (dated 1724)
Provenance
Private collection, France
Context & Attribution
Trained in the studio of Gérard de Lairesse, Jan Goeree was among the finest Dutch engravers of the early eighteenth century, celebrated for his architectural views of Amsterdam. This drawing is a preparatory study for an engraving of the same subject now preserved in a major public collection. The final print—slightly larger—closely follows the reversed composition of this sheet.
Subject
In the center of the Gothic nave, five bearers carry a catafalque toward a freshly dug grave—a tribute to the naval heroes often buried in the Nieuwe Kerk. This funerary motif, familiar from Dutch painting (e.g. Emanuel de Witte, 1657), evokes the vanitas theme and the transience of earthly life.
Technical Analysis
Goeree’s use of red chalk for the architecture and ink for the figures reveals his working method: the chalk lines could be used to produce a counterproof restoring the correct orientation of the architecture, while the inked figures remained adjustable before the design was transferred to the copper plate.
Place within the Oeuvre
Drawings of church...
Category
Early 18th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Chalk, Ink
France 18th Century, The Surprised Lovers, original drawing
Located in Paris, FR
France circa 1770
Two lovers surprised in bed
Black chalk on paper
13 x 17 cm
Modern frame : 34 x 38 cm
This drawing had been attributed to Gabriel de Saint Aubin (1724-1780). It's...
Category
1760s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Chalk
By the Fireside
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Edouard Bernard DEBAT-PONSAN
(Toulouse 1847 – 1913 Paris)
By the Fireside
Ink, wash, and gouache on paper
15 3/8 x 15 3/4 in
39 x 40 cm
Monogrammed lower right “DP”
Provenance
Private collection, France
This work is a preparatory study related to the artist’s painting Before the Ball...
Category
Late 19th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Gouache
Study for a fresco
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Attributed to Francesco PENNI (1488 – 1528)
Study for a fresco
Pen and brown ink, brown wash heightened with white on prepared paper
14 x 12 cm
On the mount, handwriting inscriptio...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
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 Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
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18th Century School, Courtyard of a palazzo, Architectural Capriccio, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
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NYC Subway Mid 20th Century American Scene Social Realism WPA Modern 1930s
Located in New York, NY
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Daniel Celentano (1902 - 1980)
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1930s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
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Church Interior
By Ray Quigley
Located in Buffalo, NY
A modern illustration by American artist Ray Quigley depicting two men inside of a church.
Category
1950s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gouache, Illustration Board, Ink
The Prince's Room
By Willy Pogany
Located in Buffalo, NY
Born in Szeged, Hungary, he became one of the better known and successful illustrators of the Golden Age of Illustration, completing over 100 books. Among them are "A Treasury of Verse for Little Children," "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." He is probably best known for pen and ink drawings of mythology subjects geared towards children.
He studied at Budapest Technical University and attended art schools in Munich and Paris before moving to London at age 23. In 1907, he began illustrating children's books and did a series of annual gift books...
Category
1940s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gouache, Graphite, Pen, Watercolor
'Flowers on a Window Sill', Royal Provenance, Russia, Queen Elizabeth II
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Olga' for Her Imperial Highness, Olga Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess of Russia and painted circa 1925.
Provenance: Formerly in the ...
Category
1920s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache, Laid Paper
'Figural Interior', Paris, Académie Julian, Salon D’Automne, Benezit, Bordello
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, "Dignimont" for André Dignimont (French, 1891-1965) and painted circa 1950.
A substantial, mid-century interior showing a man and ...
Category
1950s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
'Study for a Stained Glass Window', Devotional, Ecclesiastical, Pre-Raphaelite
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
A sensitively drawn and highly-detailed study for a three-panel set of stained glass windows showing the ascension of Jesus by angels and mortals.
Initialed, lower right, 'EB-J', an...
Category
1920s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
An Interior By french architect Joseph Dirand. Watercolor on paper
Located in Miami Beach, FL
A new series inspired by architecture, décor and stylish personalities of the world of interior design.
The worlds of fashion, society and pop culture are captured in the illustrati...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Pen
H 9 in W 12 in D 0.5 in
Geometric Palace Interior - Mughal School, 20th Century
Located in Middletown, NY
A fascinating orientalist art deco composition.
Pen and brownish brown ink with gouache on cream wove paper, 9 5/8 x 7 1/2 inches (245 x 190 mm), the full sheet. In good condition w...
Category
Early 20th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, India Ink, Gouache, Handmade Paper
Intérieur Provence, Realistic Figurative original Drawing, Colorful, Interior
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Coloured Pencils and pastel on Hahnemühle paper - Realistic Figurative original Drawing, Colorful, Interior.
Work Title : Intérieur Provence
Artist : Gabriel Riesnert...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Archival Paper, Color Pencil, Pastel
H 6.3 in W 5.91 in D 0.08 in
Pink Abundance, 'Oillets', Still life of Flowers In a Vase, Homage a Manet.
Located in Cotignac, FR
A watercolour and gouache on paper of pink chrysanthemums or oillets in a vase. The painting is monogram signed bottom right but as yet undeciphered. The painting is framed in a mode...
Category
Late 20th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
H 25.99 in W 19.3 in D 0.79 in
Machine Age Industrial WPA Era American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century
By Jo Cain
Located in New York, NY
Machine Age Industrial WPA Era American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century
Jo Cain (1904 - 2003)
Elliot
17 ¼ x 35 ¾ inches
Gouache on board, c. 1930s
Signed lower left
27 x 46 in...
Category
1930s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
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Previously Available Items
18th Century Italian School, An Architectural Capriccio, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
18th Century Italian School,
An Architectural Capriccio,
Pen and black ink and brown ink wash on paper
17 x 18,5 cm
Framed : 27 x 29 cm
The 18th century was truly the golden age o...
Category
1780s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
William Moritz (1816-1860) An historical scene, drawing signed
Located in Paris, FR
William Moritz (1816-1860)
An historical scene,
signed lower left
Brown ink and brown ink wash on paper
17 x 16.5 cm
Framed : 27 x 23.5 cm
The subject of this charming drawing remains unclear but it's really easy to identify Queen Anne of Austria...
Category
1850s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
17th century Italian figure drawing - Male Nude - Pencil paper Italy
Located in Varmo, IT
Italian painter (17th century) - Male nude.
34 x 24 cm without frame, 42 x 32 cm with frame.
Sanguine, charcoal and white pencil drawing on paper, in...
Category
Late 17th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pencil
The Death of Fausta and Crispus (from Donizetti’s “Fausta”)
Located in New York, NY
Provenance:
Private Collection, UK
This grand drawing by Giuseppe Cammarano, one the principal exponents of Neoclassical painting in Naples, depicts the climactic death of Fausta a...
Category
19th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Chalk, Ink, Pen
H 19.625 in W 27.125 in
Interior with a Man and a Woman Seated at a Table in Conversation
Located in New York, NY
Francesco Trevisani
(Capodistria 1656 – 1746 Rome)
Interior with a Man and a Woman Seated at a Table in Conversation
Inscribed, lower center, Trevisano, and lower right, 18
Pen, black ink and wash on paper
7 ⅞ x 6 ⅞ inches (20 x 17.5 cm)
Provenance:
Sir Robert Ludwig Mond (1867-1938), London (Lugt 2813a)
Robert L. and Bertina Suida Manning, New York, until 1996
Private Collection, USA
Literature:
Tancred Borenius assisted by Rudolf Wittkower, Catalogue of the Collection of Drawings by the Old Masters, formed by Sir Robert Mond, London, 1937, p. 63, no. 258.
The subject of this attractive drawing is intriguing and elusive. A man and a woman are seated at an elegant, baroque table, rapt in conversation. The bearded man leans forward, gesturing with his right hand, perhaps inquiring, perhaps pleading. The woman raises her left arm and points off to the right, apparently answering his query. Both figures are classically robed and enlivened through the careful articulation of the flowing garments that they wear. Light and shadow play across the protagonists, the heavy curtain above, and the architectural elements behind them, convincingly defining the space in which this drama takes place. The discussion between the two seems at once specific and universal—which brings us no closer to considering whether the subject might be literary, mythological, or religious.
If the theme of the drawing remains unknown, its authorship has been long established. Early inscriptions on the drawing and its mount give its author as Francesco Trevisani, an attribution confirmed by Tancred Borenius and Rudolf Wittkower. The artist first trained in Venice under Antonio Zanchi then with Joseph Heintz...
Category
17th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Ink, Pen
H 7.875 in W 6.875 in
The Annunciation
Located in New York, NY
One of the leading lights of the Neapolitan Baroque, Luca Giordano gained international acclaim during his lifetime. He travelled widely throughout Europ...
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17th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
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Series of 18th century French gouache and chalk classical old master subjects
Located in Woodbury, CT
An amazing collection of 18th century gouache and chalk/charcoal draawings by this well known French artist. Each has been framed and matted in the most amazing frames which set the ...
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1780s Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Chalk, Charcoal, Gouache
Set of Three Italian 18th Century Hand-Colored Engravings of the Vatican Loggias
By Giovanni Ottaviani
Located in Firenze, IT
A very fine set of 3 hand-coloured engraved Neoclassical paper panels depicting the famous architectural and decorative work executed by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520) in th...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Engraving
H 51.97 in W 23.63 in D 0.79 in
Old Masters interior drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Old Masters interior drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 20th Century, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including and Stefano Della Bella. Frequently made by artists working with Ink, and Paper 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 interior drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 4.73 inches across are also available. Prices for interior 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 $394 and tops out at $15,000, while the average work sells for $749.