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.
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Pen
2010s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, India Ink
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
Early 1700s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Handmade Paper, Laid Paper, Graphite
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Handmade Paper, Laid Paper
Early 19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil
Early 1800s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
Early 17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
1720s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Laid Paper, Pencil
Early 19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Crayon, Handmade Paper, Laid Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite
Late 19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Gouache
1760s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
1740s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
1830s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Ink
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Paper, Pen
1890s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Satin Paper
19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil
Late 20th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Late 18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
1770s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
1750s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
1630s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Canvas, Charcoal
Late 18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
1740s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Pencil
19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Chalk
1820s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
1770s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
Late 20th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pastel
1770s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
1740s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal
1740s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor, Pencil
19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
1740s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Gouache
1740s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Pencil
19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Charcoal, Ink, Watercolor
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Ink
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Pencil
Early 18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink, Watercolor
19th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Paper, Carbon Pencil
1820s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Ink
1820s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Watercolor