In emphasizing emotion and imagination, romantic art shifted away from the restraint of classicism and neoclassicism that had dominated art in Europe since the Renaissance. Romanticism achieved its greatest popularity in art, literature, music and philosophy between 1780 and 1830, although its expression of individual experiences ranging from awe to passion informed culture in the decades after.
Landscape painting was especially popular during the romantic period, as were nature studies of wild animals and fantasies of exotic lands. Romanticism varied across Europe as it reacted to the rise of industrialization, a more personal relationship with faith that was distanced from the church and the rationalist thinking of the Enlightenment.
British painters such as John Constable and J.M.W. Turner responded dramatically to the light and atmosphere of the natural world, while William Blake conveyed humanity’s connection to the divine in his visionary art. In Germany, the late-18th-century Sturm und Drang, or Storm and Drive, movement, with its probing of the unconscious, inspired a sense of mystery in work by romantic artists such as Caspar David Friedrich and Philipp Otto Runge. In France, where the French Revolution had turned tradition upside down, Théodore Géricault and Eugène Delacroix used lush brushwork to paint monumental canvases with tumultuous scenes of nature and history.
The romantic movement and its subject matter were a significant influence on the Pre-Raphaelites, Symbolists and the American painters of the Hudson River School, as well as on other cultural movements in the 19th and 20th centuries that saw artists build on this perspective in which art was guided by emotion rather than reason.
Find a collection of romantic paintings, sculptures, prints and multiples and more art on 1stDibs.
Portrait of a Young Woman at Dusk, Signed Oil on Cardboard, 43 x 43 CM
Located in Stockholm, Stockholm
A circa 1900 portrait of a young woman set in a landscape at dusk. Oil on cardboard, signed B. v. Zutphen lower right. The painting depicts a young woman with long, dark hair, dresse...
Cardboard, Oil
Snow-Covered Swedish Forest with River – Winter Oil Painting, 1944
Located in Stockholm, SE
This winter landscape by Swedish artist Ernst Lindgren captures the extraordinary stillness of a snow-covered Nordic forest. A partially frozen stream winds through the composition, ...
Oil, Board
The Cleaning Woman, Swedish Oil Portrait by Alma Arnell, 1903
Located in Stockholm, SE
In Städerskan, Alma Arnell gives a working woman the concentrated attention of an individual portrait. Standing in profile against a pale background, the sitter occupies almost the e...
Oil, Board
Osvald Lundgren Swedish Gouache Winter Landscape, Vårvinter, 1928
Located in Stockholm, SE
Osvald Lundgren (1888–1977) Sweden Vårvinter (Late Winter), 1928 signed and dated lower right “O. Lundgren 1928” gouache on paper unframed 29.5 × 24 cm (11.6 × 9.4 in) framed 39.5 ...
Paper, Gouache
Napoleon III Ship's Wheel France , large Wood and Brass
Located in Valladolid, ES
Large, beautiful, traditional antique ship's wheel (Napoleon III era, 19th century, France). Crafted from varnished wood with a gilded brass central plate. It features a radial desi...
Brass
Memento Mori Skull, Antique Swedish Charcoal Drawing
Located in Stockholm, SE
Unknown Artist (Sweden, early 20th century) Memento Mori inscribed in Swedish: “Tänk på att Jag har varit såsom Du, och att Du skall bliva såsom Jag.” pencil, charcoal and white he...
Paper, Charcoal, Pencil
$2,450Sale Price|30% Off
Portrait of a Young Woman, Romantic Oil, Circa 1850
By Sir Thomas Lawrence
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Portrait of a Young Woman, ca. 1850. Oil on antique English millboard, panel measures 20 x 24 inches. Excellent condition with surface stress cracking and paint shrinkage consisten...
Oil, Fiberboard
Albert-Paul Guilmet (1853-1924) Portrait of a young woman, signed drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Albert-Paul Guilmet (1853-1924) Portrait of a young woman Charcoal on paper, signed upper left 5 1/8 x 5 7/8 in. (13 x 15 cm) Framed: 6 1/4 x 7 1/8 in. (16 x 18 cm) This delicate c...
Charcoal
Liebeserklärung (Declaration of Love), 1896
Located in Stockholm, SE
Thomas Theodor Heine was a central figure in German fin de siècle culture, best known as one of the leading illustrators of the satirical magazine Simplicissimus, where his sharply o...
Gouache
Polar Night at Spitsbergen (Polarnacht bei Spitzbergen), 1892
Located in Stockholm, SE
John August Moberg (c.1860–1933) Sweden Polar Night at Spitsbergen (Polarnacht bei Spitzbergen), 1892 This painting is after Albert Rieger’s painting Polarnacht bei Spitzbergen. ...
Canvas, Oil
$6,500
19thC Oil Painting Pastoral Luminist Romantic Highland Cows Paris Ex-Christie's
Located in Portland, OR
A large early 19th century British Romantic School pastoral landscape river scene with highland cattle, by Henry Milbourne (1781-1826), signed and dated Paris, circa 1815, Ex-Christi...
Canvas, Oil
Niels Holbak, Intimate Self Portrait, Danish Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Stockholm, SE
NIELS HOLBAK (1884–1954) DENMARK Self Portrait signed lower right N Holbak numbered “61” in chalk on the reverse; with a handwritten label inscribed “Selvportræt” oil on panel unfr...
Oil, Wood Panel
$3,200
Antique 19thC Realism Landscape Portrait Oil Painting of a Beautiful Young Woman
By Haynes King
Located in Portland, OR
A very attractive mid-19th century oil on canvas Romantic Realist landscape portrait of a beautiful young woman, signed and dated 1860, Haynes King (Barbados 1831-London-1904). Hayn...
Gilding
'Young Woman in Costume', Société des Artistes Français
By Georges Antoine Rochegrosse
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed upper left, 'G. Rochegrosse' for George Rochegrosse (French, 1859-1938) and dated 1881. Framed dimensions: 15.5 H x 1.5 D x 13.5 W inches A finely-painted figural oil showin...
Canvas, Oil
The Artist Brother Staffan Kronberg Dressed as a Prince, 1911
Located in Stockholm, SE
Executed in 1911, just three years after Margherita Kronberg graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, this early drawing portrays the artist’s younger brother, Staffan, dressed...
Mixed Media, Board, Laid Paper
April Evening Sunlight Through Bare Trees – Swedish Oil Painting, 1911
By Oscar Lycke
Located in Stockholm, SE
Oscar Lycke (1877–1927) Sweden Aprilkväll (April Evening), 1911 signed lower left Osc. Lycke signed, titled and dated on the reverse oil on panel unframed 40 × 53 cm (15.7 × 20.9 i...
Oil, Board
The Fair Skipper: boating on a mountain lake ca 1830 the Swiss Alps painting
Located in Norwich, GB
Here is an almost two hundred year old painting which is so irresistibly charming that it's crazy! You may have seen painted landscapes, portraits, genre scenes - but how many pretty...
Canvas, Oil
$6,500
'River Landscape', American Barbizon School, Providence Art Club Founder
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Stetson' for Charles Walter Stetson (American, 1858-1911) and dated 1886. Born in Rhode Island, Charles Stetson opened his first studio in 1878 in Providence an...
Oil, Wood Panel
$2,728Sale Price|20% Off
Swedish Interior Scene with Woman Sewing by Lamplight – Jon Loman
Located in Stockholm, SE
In Sittande kvinna i interiör, Jon Loman focuses on the poetry of ordinary domestic life, presenting a seated woman absorbed in quiet work at a small table. A lamp forms the emotiona...
Canvas, Oil
$1,382Sale Price|30% Off
Painting of Farm with Geese in the English Countryside by 20th Century Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Painting of Farm with Geese in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, James Wright Signed, Original, Oil on Canvas, housed in a beautiful ornate gold frame. Provenance: Part of the English Heritage Series No.111 Art measures 10 x 8 inches (approx.) Frame measures 15 x 13 inches (approx.) James Wright was born in Peterborough in 1935 and now lives in Lincolnshire. James is a self-taught artist and a leading exponent of the traditional English landscape style. His early work concentrated on the busy fishing villages around the coast of Norfolk, Cornwall and Sussex. More recently, his traditional landscapes mainly feature the East Anglian and Lincolnshire countryside. About the English Heritage Collection From the most powerful to the most humble, from Bronze Age axes...
Canvas, Oil
Boy Sailing Toy Boat in Creek, oil on canvas in gilt frame signed and dated 1897
Located in Hillsborough, NC
A boy wades into the creek preparing to set his sailboat on a journey down the creek in this romantic narrative late Victorian oil painting. This painting tells a story, set in an id...
Canvas, Oil
$22,194
Hermann Anton Stilke, 1831 Joan of Arc Antique Portrait Oil Painting, Framed
Located in Gavere, BE
An exceptionally refined portrait of Joan of Arc in prayer by Hermann Anton Stilke (1803–1860), painted in oil on canvas and presented in its original gilt frame. Signed and dated 18...
Gold Leaf
$895
1932, Framed Vintage Herbarium. Colourful Botanical Flower Plant Specimen
Located in Frederiksberg C, DK
A unique vintage herbarium sheet featuring an original botanical specimen and pressed flower, collected and created by Marianna Petterson in August 1932 in Sweden. This authentic Swe...
Archival Paper, Organic Material
$6,140
A Girl Sewing By A Window, Mid-19th-Century German Genre Scene, Oil Painting
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This beautiful mid-19th-century oil painting by German artist Max Kaltenmoser (1842-1887) depicts a young woman sewing by an open window. Kaltenmoser was an academy-trained master of...
Canvas, Oil
Seacoast with an Approaching Storm and Several Sailing Vessels, Marine painting
Located in DEVENTER, NL
‘Seacoast with an Approaching Storm and Several Sailing Vessels’, Signed lower right J.C. Schotel (Johannes Christiaan Schotel, 1787–1838), Oil on canvas, In gilt frame. Canvas di...
Canvas, Oil
Golden Sunset Reflections over a Brook in the Evening Silence
Located in Stockholm, SE
In this atmospheric landscape at sunset, Fredrik Lagerström captures a fleeting twilight moment with vivid intensity. The sky is aglow with brilliant gold and amber hues, which are m...
Canvas, Oil
Fur Trapper in Winter - Portrait in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Fur Trapper in Winter - Portrait in Oil on Canvas Majestic full length portrait of a fur trapper standing in the snow by John Pieron. A man stands an...
Oil, Canvas
Twilight in Gibraltar, 19th Century Marine Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Stockholm, Stockholm
Twilight in Gibraltar, is a characteristic work by the Danish artist Lauritz (Laurits) Bernhard Holst (1848–1934), whose oeuvre is closely associated with late 19th and early 20th-ce...
Canvas, Oil
$3,000Sale Price|20% Off
Cheval de Marly, Bronze Equestrian Sculpture by Guillaume Coustou
By Guillaume Coustou
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: After Guillaume Coustou, French (1677-1746) Title: Cheval de Marly Medium: Bronze Sculpture, signature inscribed Size: 22 x 19 x 9 in. (55.88 x 48.26 x 22.86 cm) This be...
Bronze
The Joyous Sprites, Romantic Engraving after Gustave Dore
By Gustave Doré
Located in Long Island City, NY
Gustave Dore, After by George C. Finden, French (1832 - 1883) - The Joyous Sprites, Portfolio: Guinevere, Year: 1867, Medium: Engraving, Image Size: 9.5 x 7.25 inches, Size: 16...
Engraving
1931, Unique Pair Botanical Flower & Plant Specimen. Delicate Herbarium Displays
Located in Frederiksberg C, DK
A unique pair of vintage herbarium sheets featuring original botanical specimens and pressed flowers, collected and created by Marianna Petterson in August 1931 in Sweden. These auth...
Organic Material, Archival Paper
$2,558Sale Price|25% Off
Antique English Pastoral Landscape Oil Painting with Cows by H. R. Warburton
Located in GB
Charming antique English pastoral landscape painting by H. R. Warburton, depicting cattle grazing peacefully within a sunlit countryside setting. The composition features a tranquil ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,364
Allegory of Love, Cupid With Beauty in Fine Dress Carrying a Basket of Flowers
Located in Cotignac, FR
A late 18th Century oil on canvas laid on board of a young beauty in period costume carrying a basket of flowers on her head. Presented in a very fine gilt, period 'Directoire' frame...
Canvas, Oil, Board
$22,000
"The Nightmare" - Dark Contemporary Realism Baroque Figurative Oil Painting
Located in Carmel, CA
Rizaldy Celi Jr. (American, Filipino-Vietnamese, born 1983) "The Nightmare" 2025 Oil Paint, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the side and the back of the painting. We ship al...
Oil, Canvas, Stretcher Bars
Venus, NeoClassical Bronze Sculpture from Alva Studios
By Alva Studios
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Alva Studios Title: Venus Year: 1928 Medium: Bronze Sculpture Size: 17 in. x 7 in. x 5 in. (43.18 cm x 17.78 cm x 12.7 cm)
Bronze
$10,368Sale Price|40% Off
Early 1800s Scottish seascape after JMW Turner by two Nasmyth sisters
Located in Hillsborough, NC
Atmospheric and dramatic seascape painted by two sisters from the famed Nasmyth family of 18th/19th century Scottish artists. The names of A G Nasmyth (Anne Gibson) and Jane Nasmyth ...
Oil, Canvas
Portrait of a Woman in Front of the Sea, Romantic Oil Painting, Signed
By Gianni Strino
Located in Soquel, CA
Portrait of a Woman in Front of the Sea - Original Romantic Oil Painting Beautifully rendered and realistic portrait by Gianni (Giovanni) Strino (Italian b. 1953.) A woman stands in...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$910
Germany Meissen porcelain Leda and the Swan. Handpaint. Ca. 19th C. 17x18x14 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Depicting Leda draping a floral swag over the Swan, adjacent to a quiver of arrows and contemplating cherub. With '433' and '136' incised to the underside with cobalt Meissen mark un...
Porcelain
Young Woman with a Bunch of Roses, A. BRASCH, 1901
Located in PARIS, FR
Oil on canvas depicting a young woman, dressed in 17th-century style, painted in left-side profile, holding a bouquet of roses. This 1901 portrait by Auguste Brasch depicts a a ric...
Canvas
Eugenio Lucas Velázquez – Somewhere in Madrid – Oil on Canvas
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Eugenio Lucas Velázquez “Somewhere in Madrid” Oil on Canvas. Oil on canvas. Signed by the artist in the lower right corner. Artwork: 23.7 × 31.5 cm (9.3 × 12.4 in.). Framed: 41.5 × 4...
Oil, Canvas
$213Sale Price|20% Off
French school landscape the stone arch bridge Signed 1922
Located in Zofingen, AG
➡️ Landscape Le Pont ⬅️ ⏩It is signed possibly J Siverton⏪ ⭐Medium:⭐ watercolor on paper ⭐Technique: ⭐Watercolor painting with expressive brushwork. ⭐Size:⭐33x41cm / 12.9x16.1 ...
Gesso, Paper, Watercolor, Stretcher Bars
$3,120Sale Price|20% Off
A Fresh Start Rustic Flowers Painting Embellished Giclee on Canvas 40H X 60W
By Irena Orlov
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Fresh Start Rustic Flowers Painting Embellished Giclee on Canvas 40H X 60W State-of-the-art HAND EMBELLISHED ∽ MUSEUM QUALITY ∽ DISPLAY READY Giclee Reproduction Each limited edit...
Canvas, Varnish, Archival Ink, Acrylic, Digital, Inkjet, Giclée
Figurative painting, female portrait, music, Italian Romanticism, 19th century
Located in Florence, IT
Oil painting on canvas, 89 x 75 cm; framed dimensions: 109 x 94 cm. The extraordinary quality and distinctive stylistic features of this enchanting portrait clearly point to Giuseppe...
Canvas, Oil
'Stonehenge at Sunset', Royal Academy, RSBA, Benezit, Wiltshire, Druid, Celtic
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left, 'R. Gallon' for Robert Gallon (English, 1845-1925) and painted circa 1880. This well-listed landscape and seascape painter maintained a studio in St John's Wood, ...
Watercolor, Illustration Board
Nach dem Regen Oil Painting, Landscape with Figures, Signed 1873
Located in Stockholm, SE
signed and dated Otto Sinding Karlsruhe 1873 lower right oil on relined canvas framed 59 × 101 cm (23.2 × 39.8 in) unframed 41 × 83.5 cm (16.1 × 32.9 in) Provenance: The collection ...
Canvas, Oil
$6,500
Mid 19th Century American Portrait of a Young Woman Holding Flowers
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid 19th Century American Portrait of a Young Woman Holding Flowers A fine 19th Century portrait of a young Philadelphia woman holding flowers by William Winner (American, 1815-1883...
Linen, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$4,000
#5171 by Hiro Yokose Landscape Painting, oil and wax on canvas, Romantic Style
By Hiro Yokose
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas over wood panel signature on verso Hiro Yokose paints images of nature composed in subtle, sensuous palettes. Playing with the viewer’s perceptions, his work c...
Canvas, Wax, Oil, Wood Panel
Portrait of a Young Man, Romantic School, circa 1840–1855 oil on canvas
Located in Paris, FR
Portrait of a Young Man, Romantic School, circa 1840–1855 oil on canvas Dimensions (without frame): 22.4 x 18.1 in (57 x 46 cm) Dimensions (framed): 24.8 x 20.5 in (63 x 52 cm) Bust...
Oil
"Women with Dove" very large colors serigraph with embossing.
By Sunol Alvar
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Sunol Alvar Title: Women with dove Year: c.1980 Medium: Colors serigraph with embossing Edition: Numbered E.A. 22/50 in pencil Paper: Wove Artwork (image) size: 36.25 x 27....
Screen
$2,162
PORTRAIT OF REBECCA AT THE FOUNTAIN - In the Manner of Guffens - Oil on paint
By I. Di Matteo
Located in Napoli, IT
Portrait of rebecca at the fountain - I. Di Matteo Italia 1998 - Oil on canvas cm. 80x60 This magnificent painting by I. De Matteo is the rein...
Canvas, Oil
$568Sale Price|79% Off
19e century Holland school Winter scene Oil painting Signed
Located in Zofingen, AG
➡️Winter scene⬅️ Watercolor from Johannes Franciscus HOPPENBROUWERS (1819-1866) (see wikipedia) ⭐Structural Analysis⭐ This painting depicts a winter scene in a rural village, possibly in the Netherlands or a similar European setting. The composition is well-balanced, featuring: A central building with a distinctive thatched roof covered in snow, creating a focal point. A frozen river or canal, with a person ice skating in the middle ground, adding movement and human presence. A windmill and houses in the background, reinforcing a Dutch setting. Figures engaged in daily life, such as the man near the building carrying a walking stick and a bag, adding a narrative element. The overall scene is tranquil yet lively, capturing a nostalgic winter atmosphere. ⭐Color and Light⭐ The palette consists of muted earth tones, including warm browns, ochres, and soft grays, giving a rustic and aged appearance. The sky has an orange-yellow hue, possibly representing a sunrise or sunset, casting a gentle glow over the cold landscape...
Gesso, Watercolor
$3,678
19th Century English Pastoral Landscape Painting with Cattle and Cottage at Suns
Located in GB
A beautifully atmospheric 19th-century English pastoral landscape depicting cattle resting peacefully within an expansive rural setting at sunset. Rich in warmth, light, and idyllic ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,176Sale Price|20% Off
Paris, Angle de la Rue De Varenne et du Boulevard Des Invalides
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Delightful Paris scene circa 1950 artist's stamp, signed and titled in pencil on reverse Framed to 18 x 24 in with archival matt Rene-Jacques was born in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) in 19...
Silver Gelatin
Winter Tree with Crows at Dusk
Located in Stockholm, SE
This Romantic winter landscape presents a scene of profound stillness and introspection. Gnarled, leafless trees dominate the foreground, their twisted silhouettes starkly etched aga...
Canvas, Oil
Blue Mountains, New Mexico
Located in Stockholm, SE
In this luminous landscape study, Carl Oscar Borg captures the serene beauty of the New Mexican high desert, likely looking toward Mount Taylor, a sacred peak that rises above the su...
Gouache
Country Lane with Trees & Birds in English Countryside by 20th Century Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Country Lane with Trees & Birds in English Countryside by 20th Century British Landscape Artist, James Wright Signed, Original, Oil on Canvas, housed in a beautiful ornate gold frame. Provenance: Part of the English Heritage...
Canvas, Oil
$8,325Sale Price|55% Off
"Still Life and Hunting Dogs, 1851" P. M. Guillemin (French, 1800-1874)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Still Life and Hunting Dogs, 1851" P. M. Guillemin (French, 1800-1874) Monogrammed "EG" on right side. Oil on cradle board 26 x 21 (36 x 31 frame) inches Stunning example and un...
Oil, Wood Panel
French School, circa 1830 Portrait of a Young Man with Curly Hair in a Landscape
Located in Paris, FR
French School, circa 1830 Portrait of a Young Man with Curly Hair in a Landscape Charcoal with stumping, heightened with white chalk, on beige paper, cut as an oval and laid on buff ...
Charcoal
$2,500
Young Girl with Horse Illustrations Original Oil on Linen by John Turner 1941
Located in Soquel, CA
Young Girl with Horse Illustrations Original Oil on Linen by John Turner Impressionist painting of a young horse enthusiast by John Turner (American, 19th,20th C). Exceptional detai...
Oil, Linen
Portrait d'Homme Barbu German School oil on pannel
Located in Pasadena, CA
Pretty portrait representing a portrait of an old shepherd from the German school in Dusseldorf . Oil on pannel
Oil