Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
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.
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Handmade Paper, Graphite
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Chalk, Ink, Pen
1740s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
1770s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Carbon Pencil, Ink
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
1650s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk, Ink, Laid Paper
1760s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Carbon Pencil
Early 18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Pen, Gouache, Watercolor, Ink, Paper
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Handmade Paper, Laid Paper
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Paper
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
1760s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Handmade Paper, Ink, Laid Paper
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pen, Ink
1630s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
1650s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Chalk, India Ink, Watercolor
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pen, Ink
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pencil
1790s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
India Ink
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Paper
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Paper, Pen
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Pastel
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pencil
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pen, Ink
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pencil
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pencil
1790s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Paper, Chalk, Pen
Late 18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk, Paper, Ink, Pen
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pastel
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Paper, Pen
Early 18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
1730s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pen, Ink
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil, Ink
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Graphite, Charcoal
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache, Pastel
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Paper, Watercolor
1750s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
1740s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Pencil
1750s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Ink
Early 18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
India Ink, Paper, Gouache
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Ink
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Pencil
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink