Old Masters Portrait 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.
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Etching
16th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
16th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
1770s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
1840s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Early 19th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
1630s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Chalk
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
Early 1800s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal
Early 1800s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil, Ink
Mid-19th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Late 19th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, Vellum, Pencil
16th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Laid Paper, Pen
Late 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Vellum, Chalk
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil, Paper
Early 1700s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Chalk, Ink, Pen
1750s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
Late 20th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pastel
1750s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
1750s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Graphite
1910s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Carbon Pencil, Ink, Paper
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Handmade Paper, Laid Paper
1780s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk
Early 1800s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
Mid-19th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Handmade Paper, Graphite
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Handmade Paper, Graphite
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink
Late 20th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
16th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Handmade Paper, Ink, Laid Paper
19th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink
19th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Pencil
19th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache, Pastel
19th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
1830s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil, Ink
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache, Pastel
1890s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Pastel, Pencil
1890s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel, Watercolor, Pencil
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
19th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
Early 19th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Pencil
1820s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1820s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1820s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1820s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1820s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1820s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1820s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1820s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1820s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor