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Old Masters Portrait 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.

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Style: Old Masters
17th century portrait of a lady
Located in Bath, Somerset
Portrait of a lady richly dressed in a purple silk gown with white sleeves, a gold coloured cloak draped across one shoulder, her blonde curls worn up...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

17th Century Dutch Old Master Oil on Panel, Ladies Gathering Flowers
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: 17th Century Dutch School Title: Ladies Collecting Flowers Medium: oil painting on panel, framed Oval : 6.75 x 9.25 inches, frame...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Escuela española (XIX) - Óleo sobre tela - Retrato de gentilhombre
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va sin firmar La obra se presenta enmarcada Medidas obra: 60 x 46 cm. Medidas obra: 76 x 64 cm. Estado aceptable aunque si comentar que la tela está reentelada y en la pa...
Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Venus Love Guercino 17th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master Emilian school
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, the Guercino (Cento 1591 - Bologna 1666), workshop Attributable to, Benedetto Gennari (Cento, 1633 - Bologna, 1715) Venus disarming Love oil on canvas ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Antique French Old Master Sanguine Chalk Drawing Mother & Child portrait
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Mother & Child" French School, 19th century sanguine chalk drawing on paper, unframed painting: 23.25 x 17.75 inches Condition report: The painting i...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Chalk

Pops
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

2010s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic, Pencil

Young Girl with a Basket of Fruit
By Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
French School, late 18th century, circle of Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725–1805) Young Girl with a Basket of Fruit Oil on canvas, preparatory work, Unsigned 39 x 31 cm Provenance: Pri...
Category

1790s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th Century Circle of Jean-Étienne Liotard Portrait of a lady Oil on canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Circle of Jean-Étienne Liotard (Geneva, Switzerland, 1702 – 1789) Portrait of a lady Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 73 x 58 cm – with frame 87.8 x 73.7 x 4.5 cm Not ...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Early 19th century French Oval Portrait of a pretty Young Blonde French Girl
Located in Woodbury, CT
A wonderful Oval oil on canvas portrait of a little girl. Very much in the style of Jean-Baptiste Greuze.
Category

Early 1800s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Dionysus Bacco Roman school 17th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Caravaggesque northern artist active in Rome in the 17th century, active in Rome in the 17th century. Workshop of Gerard van Honthorst (Utrecht, 1592 – Utrecht, 1656) Dionysus/Bacch...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

CHILD - Alfonso Grassi Watercolor on paper Portrait italian Painting
Located in Napoli, IT
CHILD -Watercolorl on paper cm.51x41 signed lower left by Alfonso Grassi, Italy. Wooden frame with passeportout cm.94x73
Category

Late 20th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Early 19th Century Portrait "Countess Margaret Spencer"
Located in San Francisco, CA
JOHN HOPPNER R.A. (British, 1758–1810), "Countess Margaret Spencer," oil on canvas, canvas (relined): 36" x 28", overall (framed): 35" x 43". John Hoppner, R.A. plaque mounted cente...
Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

William Wissing (follower) 19th Century Portrait Queen Mary II
Located in York, GB
A 19th century oil on canvas, portrait of a young woman.This portrait is believed to be of Queen Mary II taken from an engraving of the painting, Halswell Park Sale, 1948, lot no.1323, Housed in a decorative gilt frame.Size overall being 70 x 86 cm high (27.5 x 33¾ inches approx) size of painting 54 x 68 cm (21 x 26 inches approx) To the rear of the portrait is a newspaper cutting of the engraving ,also a typed note regarding the provenance of the painting (see photo) Condition overall is very good, the Canvas has been relined, under UV there are areas of overpaint to bosom.Frame overall very good some minor self coloured losses Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) Mary, born at St James's Palace in London on 30 April 1662,eldest daughter of James, Duke of York (the future James II & VII) , and his first wife, Anne Hyde. Mary's uncle was King Charles II, her maternal grandfather, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, served for a lengthy period as Charles's chief adviser. Mary married William of Orange. Willem Wissing, known in England as William Wissing...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

French school late 18th Century, Portrait of a young man, oil on metal
Located in Paris, FR
French school late 18th Century Portrait of a young man oil on metal 10.2 x 7.7 cm Framed under glass : 24.4 x 21.8 cm This small portrait painting, quite original in its technique...
Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

17th century portrait of Lady Sarah Cowper, Circle of Michael Dahl
By (Circle of) Michael Dahl
Located in York, GB
Portrait of Lady Sarah Cowper, nee Holled [1644-1720]-Circle of Michael Dahl 17th century,Oil painting on canvas oval,bust-length . She has dark hair tie...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Young Boy Thomas Wagstaff - Scottish art 18th century oil painting
Located in London, GB
This superb late 18th century portrait oil painting is attributed to noted Scottish artist Alexander Nasmyth. Painted circa 1790 the sitter is of the Wagstaff family, either Thomas o...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Michael Dahl (circle) 17th century portrait of Sir William Cowper
By (Circle of) Michael Dahl
Located in York, GB
Portrait of Sir William Cowper [1639-1706] Circle of Michael Dahl.Oil painting on canvas 17th century oval, bust-length, with a long dark wig, and wearin...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Mary Beale (circle) Portrait Painting of Sir John Pettus
By (Circle of) Mary Beale
Located in York, GB
A very fine oil on canvas of Sir John Pettus ,circle of Mary Beale 17th century Wearing a red cloak and a black tunic with white collar. His coat of arms to the right. Housed in a gilt frame, the size overall being 85 x 74 cm whilst the painting is 76 x 63.5cm In overall excellent condition. There is a wealth of history about the sitter online , below is a brief resume John Pettus Sir John Pettus (1613–1690) was an English royalist, politician and natural philosopher. Pettus was an expert on metallurgy and became a deputy governor of the royal mines in England and Wales under Charles I and II. He is known for the first English translation of the work of the German metallurgist Lazarus Ercker. Pettus’s grandfather was a wealthy Norwich merchant ,he purchased the manor of Rackheath in 1590 and represented the city in 1601 and 1604-10. Although a younger son, Pettus inherited the manors of Chediston and Wenhaston, He married well; but even before the Civil War most of his estate was mortgaged, and his wife’s expectations were never realized, owing to her father’s misfortunes as leader of the City Royalists. Pettus became a servant to Charles I, and took part in the farcical royalist attempt on Lowestoft in March 1643, but was exchanged after nearly a year in prison. It is unlikely that he resumed command of his regiment, such as it was, since he ‘continued inoffensive till the taking of Bristol’ by the New Model Army...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Child Jesus Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century Baby Italian Religious
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Lombard painter active in the 17th century Infant Jesus Oil painting on canvas 70 x 82 cm. - In antique frame 78 x 91 cm. This painting depicts an unusual and pleasant iconographic...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

17th-18th Century By Niccolò Cassana Portrait of a Gentleman Oil on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Niccolò Cassana (Venice, Italy, 1659 - London, UK, 1714) Title: Portrait of a Gentleman Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 119.5 x 92.5 cm Painting without frame. Expe...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Nathaniel Hone, portrait of "flora" roman goddess, 18th century
By Nathaniel Hone the Elder
Located in York, GB
I have great pleasure in offering for sale this beautiful portrait, by Nathaniel Hone, the elder. 18th century. The painting is of Ann Anderson, wife...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Man, 17th Century Dutch Oil on Panel Portrait
Located in London, GB
Circle of Cornelis Dusart Dutch 1660 - 1704 Portrait of a Man Oil on panel Image size: 7¾ x 5¼ inches Giltwood frame Cornelis Dusart Cornelis ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

17th Century by Jan Janssens Saint John the Baptist Oil on canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Jan Janssens (Ghent, Belgium, 1590 - after 1650) Title: Saint John the Baptist Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 76 x 62 cm – with frame 97 x 83 x 6 cm Not signed Expe...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th-19th Century By Natale Schiavoni Portrait of the Sister Oil on Cardboard
By Natale Schiavoni
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Natale Schiavoni (Chioggia, Italy, 1777 - Venice, Italy, 1858) Title: Portrait of the Sister Medium: Portrait on cardboard Dimensions: with our frame 14.5 x 12 cm - with frame 22 x 1...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Self-Portrait - Royal Academy Founding Member, 18th Century
Located in London, GB
Francis Hayman RA 1708–1776 Self-Portrait Oil on oak panel Image size: 8 x 6¼ inches Contemporary gilt frame This newly discovered work is the earliest known self portrait by Francis Hayman, dated to the mid to late 1720’s. The small scale of the portrait gives it a strong sense of intimacy. Whereas clients would often dress themselves in their best clothes for a sitting, Hayman has portrayed himself in informal attire, with his shirt unbuttoned and a wig cap. Born in 1708 to a respectable Devonshire family, his training began at the tender age of ten under the tutelage of the historical painter Robert Brown, who was probably an uncle. By the 1730’s he is known to have been engaged in painting scenery for the popular theatres on Goodman’s Fields and Drury Lane. He established a studio on St Martin’s Lane, and demonstrated his versatility as one of the most important painters of his time in portraits, illustration and history painting. Indeed, he was one of the first English painters deemed to have the skill and proficiency to rival that of the foreign masters, such as Holbein and Kneller, who were brought in by the court to make up for the perceived shortcomings of the native artists. Led by William Hogarth, Hayman and other artists began to create a new movement in the English art world. Thomas Gainsborough was one of his pupils, whom he is said to have introduced to the more lascivious and debauched underbelly of London life. After mostly making his living as an illustrator, in the 1740’s Hayman was commissioned by the proprietor of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, Jonathan Tyers, to produce a series of four large celebratory canvases depicting British victories from the Seven Years War. His association with Tyers continued, and over the next ten years he produced a number of large decorative paintings...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oak, Oil Pastel

Madonna Holy family Tisi 16/17th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master Italy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Benvenuto Tisi, il Garofalo (Garofalo, Rovigo 1476 - Ferrara 1559) workshop/follower Madonna with Child and Saint Joseph Oil on canvas 125 x 90 cm - In frame 143 x 109 cm. I...
Category

16th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Of A Gentleman By Frans Hals
Located in New Orleans, LA
Frans Hals 1582-1666 Dutch Portrait of a Gentleman (possibly Theodore Blevet) Oil on panel “Frans Hals is a colourist among the colourists...Frans Hals must have had twenty-seven blacks...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Old Masters portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Old Masters portrait paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including (After) Giampietrino, Henri-Joseph Castaing, Charles Towne, and Jean Alexandre Rémy Couder. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Old Masters portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 4.53 inches across are also available. Prices for portrait paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $695 and tops out at $339,912, while the average work sells for $4,791.

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