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.
Russian Orthodox Church, Middle 19th Century
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Unknown Russian Artist Russian Orthodox Church, Middle 19th century Unsigned Illuminated in red, yellow blue and green pigments and gold leaf on paper An Illuminated manuscript folio...
Pigment
Russian Orthodox Church, Middle 19th Century
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Unknown Russian Artist Russian Orthodox Church, Middle 19th century Unsigned Illuminated in red, yellow blue and green pigments and gold leaf on paper ...
Pigment
$14,101Sale Price|20% Off
Raquel. Figurative woman's portraits on abstract background.
Located in Segovia, ES
Raquel. Images of woman on abstract background. Mixed media on panel. Measurements: 81 x 65 x 0.5 cm / Framed 103 x 87 x 5 cm In inches: 31.89 x 25.59 x 0.2 " / Framed 40.55 x 34.25 x 1.97 " "Raquel" was painted by Goyo in 1999 ( signature and date in right down corner) using a mixed technique. On abstract background that plays with colors, shapes, and volumes, Goyo portrays a beautiful woman's face with a penetrating gaze. There, almost like a collage, an academic female...
Wood Panel, Mixed Media
$12,800Sale Price|20% Off
Classical Ruins
By William Louis Sonntag Sr. 1
Located in Miami, FL
William Louis Sonntag Sr. was an American Landscape painter and a member of the Hudson River School movement. He was an Academician of the National Academy of Design. His work is in ...
Oil
$1,191Sale Price|70% Off
H 23.63 in W 23.63 in D 2.37 in
Yorkshire Dales Green Fields Abstract Landscape Oil Painting by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Abstract Landscape Oil Painting of Green Fields & Trees in the Yorkshire Dales, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, by British Artist Moira Metcalfe...
Canvas, Paint, Mixed Media, Oil
$3,438
H 39.38 in W 31.5 in D 1.19 in
Ocean Whispers - abstract art underwater nude human figurative painting
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
$1,196Sale Price|20% Off
H 19 in W 22 in D 2 in
Antique American School Signed Panoramic Sunset Landscape Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American impressionist lake landscape signed oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Image size, 20L x 16H.
Canvas, Oil
$1,085
H 18.9 in W 22.64 in
Mid Century Modern Swedish Abstract Landscape Oil Painting - Rhythms of the Wind
Located in Bristol, GB
RHYTHMS OF THE WIND Size: 48 x 57.5 cm (including frame) Oil on canvas A vibrant mid-century modernist abstract painting that captures the essence of a dynamic landscape through exp...
Canvas, Oil
$43,091Sale Price|20% Off
H 23 in W 27 in D 2 in
Blue & Red II Abstract Expressionist Painting by Leading British Urban Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Blue & Red II Abstract Expressionist Painting - a rare early work from Leading British Urban Artist, Angela Wakefield. Entitled 'Tropical City #2', this moody and atmospheric artwork...
Acrylic, Gesso, Oil, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Varnish, Paint, Cotton,...
$3,000
H 32.5 in W 46.25 in D 1.5 in
"The Rose Garden" Mid Century Oil Painting on Canvas Abstract Landscape & Figure
Located in New York, NY
An abstract Mid-Century piece with lighter color tones accentuated with the use of basic colors, blue, red and yellow. In this abstract composition we see a figure, tending to their ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,146
H 23.63 in W 23.63 in D 1.58 in
Quiet Sky-original oil abstract landscape oil painting-contemporary artwork
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
Dye Painting #15
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Interested in communicating ideas of history, place and nature in her painting practice, Jennifer Wolf utilizes natural dyes and minerals to feature a historically significant palett...
Silk, Dye, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Pigment
$2,600
H 24 in W 18 in
Mod French Oil Painting Semi Abstract Colorful Composition Israeli Nissan Engel
By Nissan Engel
Located in Surfside, FL
Hand signed by artist lower left Guerriers (the Warriors) Oil on board Dimensions: 24 x 18 in. Circa 1950's-1960's NISSAN ENGEL Israel, b. 1931 Multidisciplinary Israeli French art...
Mixed Media, Oil, Wood Panel
$3,200
H 36 in W 48 in D 2 in
Twenty Years, abstract figures in garden like interior / exterior space
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Abstract, interior / exterior figurative. colorful, abstract brushwork, loose perspective similar to Anselm Kiefer Oil on panel.
Oil, Wood Panel
$2,800
H 36 in W 48 in D 2 in
Where Souls Are Made, colorful bridge crowd bunnies abstract expressionist
By C. Dimitri
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Abstract, landscape, figurative: a rabbit burrow, reminiscent of Venice Carl Dimitri’s artistic style is multifaceted, blending abstract, contemporary, and expressionistic elements....
Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint, Wood Panel, Graphite
$8,343
H 29.53 in W 55.12 in
The Fountain I by Joachim van der Vlugt - Semi-abstract painting, grey colour
Located in Paris, FR
The Fountain I is a unique oil on canvas painting by contemporary artist Joachim van der Vlugt, dimensions are 75 × 140 cm (29.5 × 55.1 in). The artwork is signed, sold unframed and ...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 33 in W 43 in
19th century German romantic landscape painting - Temple Valley Sicily Italy
By Andreas Achenbach
Located in Aartselaar, BE
Huge 19th century romantic painting depicting a sunset over the Temple Valley in Agrigento, Italy This magnificent painting depicts the famous Temple Valley in Sicily. We have visited the site to find out from which viewpoint the painter painted this beautiful work. Fortunately, the site remains largely unchanged from how it was in 1856 and we found out that the painter depicted the temples of Hera (on the left) and Concordia (in the distance). He (or she) likely sat on top of the hill next to the temple of Hera while he sketched the magnificent scenery of the sun setting in the sea behind the temple of Concordia. The present painting is topologically correct, however the artist might have taken some artistic liberty in rearranging the remains of the columns of the Hera temple to create a better perspective and direct the gaze of the viewer to the focal point of the composition; the temple of Concordia. Although the painting was long believed to have been created by an American painter, as the dramatic light and magnificent landscape are quite reminiscent of Hudson River School paintings, it is more likely that the painting has been created by a German romantic...
Canvas, Oil
Russian Orthodox Church, Middle 19th Century
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Unsigned An Illuminated manuscript folio from a Russian Old Believers manuscript with Neumes, from the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom. Illuminated in red, yellow blue and ...
Pigment
LANDSCAPE
Located in Napoli, IT
LANDSCAPE - Oil on canvas cm.120x80 by Massimo D'Orta, Italy 2008
BLUE GEOMETRIES
Located in Napoli, IT
Blue geometries - Alfonso Pragliola Italia 2014 - Oil on canvas cm.80x130
Canvas, Oil