Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
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.
4
to
8
80
27
58
26
55
49
3
95
11
1
1
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
108
29
3
1
1
108
66
7
4
1
1
69
12
3
2
2
2
56
50
31
30
20
Style: Old Masters
Period: 18th Century and Earlier
Portrait of a Lady, a drawing signed and dated by Augustin de Saint-Aubin
Located in PARIS, FR
This drawing full of freshness presents us with the profile of an elegant lady, drawn by Augustin de Saint-Aubin on a beautiful summer day in 1776, during the early months of Louis X...
Category
1770s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pastel, Pencil
Rome/Tevere - Original Pencil and Watercolor Drawing - 1781
Located in Roma, IT
Rome is a beautiful artwork realized by Jan Peter Verdussen in 1741.
In good condition except for some pencil marks and traces of sealing wax on the back and some diffused foxings.
...
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Pencil
The Adoration - Original Painting by Giuseppe Assereto - 1630
Located in Roma, IT
The Adoration is an original modern artwork realized by Giuseppe Assereto (died in Genoa in 1650) in the first half of the 17th Century.
Original Oil Painting on Canvas.
A 19th Ce...
Category
1630s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Oil
French, old master drawing of a gentleman by Jean-Baptiste Greuze
By Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Jean-Baptiste Greuze (French, 1725 – 1805)
Portrait of a man
Sanguine on paper
16 x 12 in. (40.8 x 30.7cm.)
This has been expertised by the Cabinet de Bayser, Paris
Behind glass in ...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper
18th century French Neo Classical school, Study for frontispiece, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
18th century French Neo Classical school,
Study for frontispiece,
Brown ink and pen, brown ink wash on paper
15,5 x 11 cm, 13 x 8.5 cm for the main motive
Framed : 27 x 21 cm
This ...
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink
Old Masters Sanguine Drawing of Putti and a Lion, 18th century
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Old Masters Sanguine Drawing of Putti and a Lion
18th century
4 3/4 x 3 1/4 (8 5/8 x 7 1/4 frame) inches
An utterly charming depiction in sanguine of 5 putti and a lion on a leash....
Category
Early 18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Chalk, Ink
Animal painting of a 'Tamanuâguacû (Ant-eater)' late 17th/18th century, Brazil
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Follower of Zacharias Wagener (1614-1688)
Tamanuâguasû (Giant Anteater)
On Italian 17th or 18th-century paper, H. 28 x W. 43.5 cm
The present painting is a copy after Wagener’...
Category
Early 18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, India Ink, Gouache
French School Of The 18th century, An Ancient Shipyard, Drawing
Located in Paris, FR
French school of the 18th century
An ancient shipyard or building site (?)
Ink and ink wash on paper
17.5 x 23 cm
In a modern frame 32 x 37 cm
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink
Baroque Interior, a drawing attributed to Francesco Battaglioli (1725 - 1796)
By Francesco Battaglioli
Located in PARIS, FR
The technique of this luminous architectural drawing with its rigorous perspective is perfectly representative of the creations of the Venetian school’s 18th century vedutists. Simil...
Category
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink
A Windmill above an Arched Bridge, at left a Quay Wall
Located in New York, NY
Inscribed “159” in the upper right
Provenance:
(Possibly) The Van Goyen sketchbook which in 1845 belonged to Andrew Geddes, A.R.A. (1783-1844), London; his sale, Christie's, London,...
Category
1650s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Chalk, India Ink, Watercolor
The 1564 Medici Danti Map of California
By Fra Egnazio Danti
Located in New York, NY
Florentine, Probably Seventeenth Century
Titled
L’ultime parti note nel Indie occidentali
Dated on the edge of the cartouche: “M.D. LXIII. M.AG” [1564…the month of August]
In the ...
Category
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Pen
Caesar's landing in Brittany, an original drawing by Giuseppe Bernardino Bison
Located in PARIS, FR
We wish to thank Mrs. Bożena Anna Kowalczyk who suggested this drawing be attributed to Giuseppe Bernardino Bison during a direct examination of the artwork.
This drawing, perfectly...
Category
1790s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink
Reclining Youth, 18th Century Nude Graphite on Paper
By French Old Master
Located in London, GB
French School
18th Century
Reclining Youth
Graphite and charcoal on paper
Image size: 15 x 23 inches (38 x 58.5 cm)
Wash line mount and gilt frame
Painting in eighteenth-century Fra...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Charcoal, Graphite
The Tiber, near Rome / Italian School 18th Century
Located in Middletown, NY
Pen and sepia ink wash on cream laid paper, 4 1/8 x 6 3/16 inches (103 x 152 mm). In good condition with scattered areas of light brown discoloration, and uniform age tone. Conditio...
Category
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Laid Paper, Pencil
Apollo and the Muses, a Renaissance drawing attributed to Girolamo da Carpi
Located in PARIS, FR
This subtle drawing from the Roman Renaissance presents Apollo accompanied by three Muses. It is based on a sarcophagus depicting the nine Muses framed by Minerva and Apollo, which i...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink
18th century English scene of a man on his horse with his dog in a landscape
Located in Woodbury, CT
Wonderful 18th century English gouache on paper of a 18th century English scene of a man on his horse with his dog in a landscape
One of a set of five all framed in Hogarth frames. ...
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Gouache
17th-18th century Italian figure drawing - Male Nude - Pencil paper Italy
Located in Varmo, IT
Italian master (17th- 18th century) - Male nude.
34 x 24 cm without frame, 42 x 32 cm with frame.
Drawing in sanguine, charcoal and white pencil on paper, in a gilded wooden frame....
Category
Late 17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Pencil
A Mother and Child, Two Children, and a Dog
Located in New York, NY
Provenance:
Elsie de Woolfe, Lady Mendl, Paris; by whom given in 1950 to:
Arlene Dahl, New York (until 2021)
Inventive, whimsical, and fantastic; delightful, imaginative, and maca...
Category
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink, Pen
Modello for the Virgin of the Rosary, a drawing by Francesco Vanni (1563 - 1610)
Located in PARIS, FR
Francesco Vanni is one of the last representatives of the long Sienese pictorial tradition. In this masterly composition in pen and ink wash, he presents the Virgin of the Rosary, ho...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Pen
The Flight into Egypt
Located in New York, NY
Inscribed: 3. una Madonna che va in Egitto, verso, and Madonna che va in Egitto, recto
Provenance:
Private Collection, UK, since 1999
This expressive and boldly executed drawing i...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Chalk, Ink, Pen, Paper
18th century Italian Old Masters Red Chalk, Sanguine Putti with Sheaves of Wheat
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Old Masters Drawing of Putti with Sheaves of Wheat
18th century, Italian
Red Chalk, pencil, laid paper
16 1/2 x 10 3/4 (22 1/2 x 16 1/4 frame)
The passe-partout frame is original, m...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Chalk, Laid Paper
Study of a Reclining Man - Italian School of the 17th century red chalk drawing
Located in PARIS, FR
This powerful drawing depicts the profile of a young man lying naked, his shoulders covered by a large sash. This sensual red chalk belongs most probably to the Italian school of the...
Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Chalk
18th century English scene of pointer dogs out hunting with men shooting birds
Located in Woodbury, CT
Wonderful 18th century English gouache on paper of a 18th century English scene of pointer dogs out hunting with men shooting birds.
One of a set of five all framed in Hogarth frame...
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Gouache
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 4.5" wide x 7.5" high
The frame measure...
Category
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Graphite
La Femme Muse
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original pastel drawing on heavy laid paper by an unknown artist, (likely French, 18th Century) titled "La Femme Muse", c. 1780. No signature found. Recently framed with moulding ...
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pastel
Folio from Communion of Saints, Reading from the Book of St. Matthew.
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Provenance:
Otto F. Ege (1888-1951)
Phillip Duechnes Bookseller, New York, c. 1948
References And Exhibitions:
Otto F. Ege Box Folio 27
Ege describes these folios as: Epist...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Vellum
Smiling Woman - Pencil and Watercolor Drawing on Paper - 18th century
Located in Roma, IT
Smiling Woman is a beautiful original pencil and watercolor drawing on ivory-colored paper realized by an anonymous artist of the French school of the XVIII century.
From the draper...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Pencil
A red chalk study sheet by Baldassare Franceschini, known as Volterrano
Located in PARIS, FR
This fresh sanguine sheet presents various studies placed next to each other in no apparent order. Two of the feet studies are preparatory to the first major commission received by t...
Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Chalk
Villas on the Brenta, an ink wash on paper by Francesco Guardi, Venice 1712-1793
Located in PARIS, FR
Provenance:
Dominique-Vivant Denon Collection (his stamp partly erased in the lower right corner). Denon sale on May 1er 1826 – part of lot 329 or lot 331
Marquet de Vasselot Collect...
Category
1790s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink
Portraits of the Hon. Mary Shuttleworth and Anna Maria, 9th Baroness Forrester
Located in London, GB
THE HON. MARY SHUTTLEWORTH, NÉE COCKBURN (D. 1777)
and her sister
ANNA MARIA, 9TH BARONESS FORRESTER (D. 1808)
Pastel and gouache on paper laid on canvas, on their original backb...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pastel, Gouache
Study after Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment”
By Michelangelo Buonarroti
Located in New York, NY
Italian School, 16th Century
Provenance:
Private Collection, New York
This intriguing drawing is a study by an anonymous 16th-century Italian artist after a vignette in Michelange...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Figures Seated around a Table
Located in New York, NY
Provenance:
Elsie de Woolfe, Lady Mendl, Paris; by whom given in 1950 to:
Arlene Dahl, New York (until 2021)
This delightful sheet is a newly rediscovered work by the eighteenth-ce...
Category
1760s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink, Pen
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 Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Pencil
Riding School - Original China Ink Drawing by Jan Pieter Verdussen - Mid 1700
Located in Roma, IT
Riding School is an ink original drawing on watermarked and wire rod paper realized in the middle of XVIII century by Jan Peter Verdussen, with autograph notes.
In very good conditi...
Category
Late 18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, 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 Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper
France, 18th Century, View of a fortified village, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
France circa 1770
View of a fortified village
Brown ink, brown ink wash and red chalk on paper
24 x 34.5 cm
In quite good condition, some foxings in the upper part, a repaired tear ...
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Chalk
Head of a Female Saint
By Bernardino Lanino
Located in New York, NY
Provenance:
Duke Vittorio Amadeo I (d. 1637), Turin; by descent in the Library of the Dukes of Savoy
Antonio Abrate (1834–1925), Turin, after 1887; by descent to:
Adele Abrate Carl...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Chalk
Pavilion with waterfall, an ink wash attributed to Hubert Robert (1733 - 1808)
By Hubert Robert
Located in PARIS, FR
This large wash drawing is a slightly enlarged version of a composition executed by Hubert Robert in 1761, at the end of his stay in Rome. This composition is a marvellous synthesis ...
Category
1760s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Watercolor
Figures - Original Pencil and Ink on Paper - 17th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Figures is an original drawing in pencil and pen on paper by an Italian anonymous Artist of the 17th Century.
In good condition except for diffused folding and stains with worn mar...
Category
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Pencil
18th century English scene of pointer dogs out hunting with men shooting birds
Located in Woodbury, CT
Wonderful 18th century English gouache on paper of a 18th century English scene of pointer dogs out hunting with men shooting birds.
One of a set of five all framed in Hogarth frame...
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Gouache
A portrait of the Grand Dauphin as Narcissus attributed to Henri Gascar
By Henri Gascar
Located in PARIS, FR
This cabinet miniature is truly an artistic tour de force: in an area of just a few inches, the artist manages to portray Narcissus, who is reflected in the water in the foreground, ...
Category
1670s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Vellum
Eighteenth century Old Master drawing - St Jerome
Located in London, GB
Pen, ink and wash
Framed dimensions: 9 ½ x 11 ¼ inches
Drawn c. 1763
This small, powerful study shows St Jerome contemplating the bible with a cross and skull. This sheet belongs t...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Pen
The Martyrdom of the Santi Quattro Coronati
Located in New York, NY
Provenance:
Private Collection, UK
After initial training under Justus Suttermans and Vincenzo Dandini, in 1673 Anton Domenico Gabbiani embarked for Rome where he spent three years...
Category
17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Chalk, Ink, Pen
18th Century French sanguine drawing of figures in the Roman ruins by Robert
By Hubert Robert
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Hubert Robert (French, 1733 – 1808)
Figures in the Roman ruins
Sanguine on paper
29.6 x 35.6 cm.
Bearing watermark from ‘Jan Honig & Zoonen, Amsterdam’
Provenance: Hal O’Nians, Fine...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper
A Musical Party
Located in New York, NY
Provenance:
Dr. George Hamilton, Massachusetts; and by descent.
Private Collection, Ohio, until 2021.
Exhibited:
(Possibly) Clark Art Institute, Massachusetts (according to a hand...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink, Pen
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 good condition, some foxings
In a...
Category
1790s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
India Ink
18th century English scene of a groom with a horse in a landscape
Located in Woodbury, CT
Wonderful 18th century English gouache on paper of a 18th century English scene of a groom with a horse in a landscape.
One of a set of five all framed in Hogarth frames.
L.Green ...
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Gouache
18th century English gun dogs pointing at birds in a landscape with men shooting
Located in Woodbury, CT
Wonderful 18th century English gouache on paper of Pointer dogs looking for a Partridge or Pheasant, with men out shooting.
One of a set of five all framed in Hogarth frames.
L.Gr...
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Gouache
The Assumption of Mary Magdalene, Italian School, 16th Century
Located in Middletown, NY
Brownish ink and grayish ink wash with white heightening on handmade cream laid paper, 10 5/8 x 8 1/4 inches (267 x 208 mm)(matrix). Scattered minor losses to top sheet edge (outside...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Handmade Paper, Laid Paper
France 18th Century, Pastorale (Arcadian Landscape), original drawing
Located in Paris, FR
France 18th Century,
Pastorale (Arcadian Landscape)
Black chalk and heightenings of white gouache on blue-grey paper
19 x 31 cm
Framed : 34.5 x 46.5 cm
The atmosphere and the subje...
Category
1760s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Chalk
Grimace - Original China Ink and Watercolor Drawing - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Grimace is a beautiful brown and black China ink drawing and watercolor on wire rod paper, made by an anonymous artist of the late 18th century.
A precious old master's original dra...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Ink
Study for Holy Family - Original Drawing by Cosimo Ulivelli- 16th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Study for Holy Family is an original old master artwork realized by Cosimo Ulivelli in the second half of 16th Century.
Brown pencil drawing on paper.
Fair conditions due to the ti...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pencil
Study in the Antique Style, a neoclassical drawing by Augustin Pajou
Located in PARIS, FR
In this lively and fresh drawing, probably taken from one of the artist's notebooks, Pajou presents us with a composition freely inspired by antiquity, as a souvenir of a visit to th...
Category
1750s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink
Louis Lesueur (1746-1803) Landscape with ruins, 1789, drawing signed and dated
Located in Paris, FR
Louis Lesueur (1746-1803)
A Fantasy Landscape with ancient ruins, 1789,
signed and dated "L Lesueur 1789" in the bottom centre
Pen and ink and ink wash on paper
14.8 x 22 cm
In goo...
Category
1780s Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink
Two Angles blowing a red chalk drawing by Charles de La Fosse (ceiling study)
Located in PARIS, FR
In this lively sketch, Charles de La Fosse, who was trained in fresco painting during his stay in Italy, presents us with two angels blowing, probably intended for a ceiling project....
Category
Late 17th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Chalk
18th century pastel portrait of Lady Augusta Corbett and her son, Stuart
Located in London, GB
Collections:
Commissioned by Andrew Corbett, husband of the sitter;
The Venerable Stuart Corbett;
Sir Stuart Corbett;
By descent to 2002;
Sotheby’s, London 21 March 2002, lot.10...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pastel, Gouache
The Assumption of the Virgin
Located in New York, NY
Provenance:
Unidentified collector’s mark “D.G.R,” lower right (Lugt 757b)
Wilhelm Suida (1877–1959), New York; by descent to:
Robert L. and Bertina Suida Manning, New York, until 1...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink, Pen
Drinks Seller - Original Gouache by Michela De Vito - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Drink Seller (Venditore di Bibite) is an original gouache drawing on paper realized by Michela De Vito, Naples.
Hand-signed on the lower center.
Titled on the lower center. The wor...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Gouache
Recently Viewed
View MoreMore Ways To Browse
19th Century Pastel
19th Century Pastel Painting
Contemporary Nude Reclining
1970s Art Female Nude
Painting And Large And Still Life
Fruit Pastel
Pencil Drawing Male
Framed Vintage Botanical Art
Framed Set Drawings
Nudes In Pastels
Nude Line Painting
Interior Design Modern Vintage
Interior Design Vintage Modern