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.
Netherlandish School, 18th Century – Monogrammed Old Master Oil Painting on Pane
Located in Holywell, GB
Netherlandish School, 18th Century – Monogrammed Old Master Oil Painting on Panel A captivating Old Master oil painting depicting the Crucifixion at Calvary, set outside the walls o...
Oil
17th century Flemish seascape - Stormy Sea with Merchant Vessels and dolphins
By Bonaventura Peeters the Elder
Located in Aartselaar, BE
Bonaventura Peeters the Elder (1614–1652) attr., Stormy Coastal Scene with Merchant Vessels, Galliot, and Dolphins Framed by rugged cliffs and illuminated under a dark, swirling sk...
Oil, Panel
$9,440
Pair of XIX Century Nord Italian Landscape Giovan Battista Lelli
Located in Roma, IT
Pair of XIX Century Nord Italian Landscape Giovan Battista Lelli This not signed wonderful pair of landscape paintings, can be definitely can be assigned tothe Milanese painter Giov...
Canvas, Oil
A gentleman on horseback, 16 miles to London
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
John Nost Sartorius (London 1759-1828) A gentleman on horseback, 16 miles to London Signed and dated 1796 Oil on canvas Canvas Size - 25 x 30 in Framed Size - 32 x 37 in John Nost ...
Oil
Large 17th Century Dutch Old Master Panel Shipping on Stormy Seas Rocky Coast
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Shipping on Rough Seas by Jacob Adriaensz Bellevois (1621-1675, Dutch), unsigned oil painting on wood panel, framed panel: 23.25 x 32.75 inches framed: 29 x 38 inches. condition: s...
Oil, Wood Panel
Early 18th-Century Italian Venetian Portrait Painting Tempera on Glass
Located in Roma, IT
Early 18th-Century Italian Venetian Portrait Painting on Glass This wonderful early 18th-century portrait of a lady holding a small dog is a classic example of reverse glass painting...
Glass, Tempera
$5,450
Grazing horses
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
English Primitive School, c.1790 Grazing horses Oil on canvas Painting size 17 1/8 x 22 1/4 in Framed size 23 1/2 x 28 1/2 in Painted around 1790, this charming provincial portrait ...
Oil
The Maitland Family Portrait
By Mason Chamberlin
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
Mason Chamberlin R.A. (London 1727-1787) Ebenezer Maitland Senior (1752–1834) and his wife Mary Winter (c. 1752–1835) with their son Ebenezer Fuller Maitland (1780–1858) in an interi...
Oil
Guardian Angel Maratta 17/18th Century Oil o canvas Old master Religious Art
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Carlo Maratta (Camerano 1625 – Rome 1713) School of The Guardian Angel (Archangel Raphael Showing the Way to Tobias) Oil on canvas 136 x 99 cm. - Framed: 150 x 112 cm. The ce...
Oil
Fine 1700's Italian Old Master Ink & Wash Drawing Roman Allegorical Insubria
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'Insubria' Italian School, 18th century ink and wash drawing on paper, framed within a light oak wood frame (behind glass) image size: 10.5 x 7 inches overall framed: 17 x 13 inches ...
Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Large 19th Century Dutch Oil Floral Still Life Roses in Terracotta Vase Garden
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Large 19th Century Dutch Floral Still Life Roses in Terracotta Vase Garden Setting Oil Painting Dutch/ German artist, late 19th century indistinctly signed and dated 1896 oil on canv...
Oil
Venetian School, late 15th century, Saint Paul the Apostle
Located in Stockholm, SE
Venetian School, late 15th century Saint Paul the Apostle oil on panel unframed 44.5 × 23.5 cm (17.5 × 9.3 in) framed 64 × 42 cm (25.2 × 16.5 in) No signature Provenance: Private ...
Oil, Wood Panel
17th Century Netherlandish Portrait of Gentleman with Ruff c.1620
Located in Stockholm, SE
Provenance: The Raeburn Gallery, as by Maerten de Vos; Bukowskis, Stockholm, 15–18 April 1970, lot 133, as in the manner of Anthony van Dyck; Private collection, Sweden Essay: This ...
Oil, Wood Panel
$9,572Sale Price|20% Off
Last Supper De Witte Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Tuscany school Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
17th-century Tuscan painter The Last Supper After Pieter de Witte (c. 1548 – 1628) oil on canvas (89 x 134 cm – framed 100 x 145 cm) This delightful painting, depicting th...
Oil
17th Century Flemish School Adoration of the Magi Oil on Canvas
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
"17th Century Flemish School Old Master Adoration of the Magi." Oil on canvas. Previously relined. Unsigned. Artwork: 81 × 61 cm (31.9 × 24 in.). 88 × 69 cm (34.6 × 27.2 in.). (Fra...
Oil, Canvas
Saint Agatha Santacroce Paint 16th Century Oil on canvas Old master Religious
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Francesco di Girolamo da Santacroce (Venice, 1516–1584) Saint Agatha Oil on canvas 126 x 68 cm. Framed: 137 x 80 cm. The painting depicts Saint Agatha (a companion piece fe...
Oil
$22,703Sale Price|20% Off
Venus Adonis Giaquinto Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italian Art
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Corrado Giaquinto (Naples, 1703 – Naples, 1765) Venus tries to dissuade Adonis from going hunting Oil on canvas 131 x 100 cm. – With an important period frame (imperfections, mi...
Oil
$5,398Sale Price|20% Off
Fine 17th Century Dutch Golden Age Old Master Oil Figures in Classical Landscape
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Figures in Classical Landscape Dutch School, 17th century unsigned, as is typical of the period oil on canvas, framed inscribed verso to label framed: 23 x 27 inches canvas : 20 x 24...
Oil
$4,073Sale Price|20% Off
Fine Antique Classical Roman Landscape Figures Boats Merchant Port Ancient City
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Embarkation of the Queen of Sheeba British School, early 19th century, apparently unsigned though the previous owner insisted it was. after the earlier painting by Claude Lorrai...
Oil
Large Fine 19th Century Landscape Oil on Canvas of Victorian London by Moonlight
By Henry Pether
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Westminster from the Thames by Moonlight’ by Henry Pether (1800-1880). The painting - one of the artist’s finest views of London in the 1860s - depicts the Houses of Parliament, t...
Oil
A British Man O’War in distress on a rocky coast in a storm
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
Johann c. van der Hagen (1676-c.1745) A British Man O’War in distress on a rocky coast in a storm Signed 'J. vanderhagen' lower right Oil on canvas Canvas size - 38 1/2 x 51 in Framed size - 46 x 59 in Provenance The Collection the Most Hon. Marquis of Headfort at Headfort, Kells, Co. Meath; His sale, Christie's, Important Old Master Paintings, 29 November 1968, Lot 28; Private Collection, Oxfordshire Johann C. van der Hagen was a Dutch-born marine and landscape painter whose atmospheric depictions of ships, storms, and coastal scenes earned him recognition in Britain and Ireland during the first half of the eighteenth century. Although relatively obscure today, he was among the group of continental artists who helped shape the development of maritime painting outside the Netherlands during the late Baroque period. Born in The Hague in May 1676, van der Hagen trained within the strong Dutch tradition of marine painting that had flourished during the seventeenth century. Dutch artists of this era were internationally admired for their technical understanding of ships, changing weather conditions, and the dramatic effects of light upon water. Van der Hagen absorbed these influences early in his career, producing works characterised by animated seas, carefully observed rigging, and a keen sense of atmosphere. At some point in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, he moved to London, then one of Europe’s most important centres for maritime commerce and naval power. There he entered an artistic environment already shaped by celebrated Dutch émigré painters such as Willem van de Velde the Younger and his circle. Van der Hagen’s paintings reveal the influence of this Anglo-Dutch marine tradition, especially in his treatment of naval vessels and storm-driven seas. Contemporary records also suggest that his family became connected with artistic circles in London; one source notes that his daughter Bernada married the marine painter Cornelis van de Velde in 1699. Van der Hagen later settled in Ireland, where he appears to have been active from the 1720s onward. Dublin became his principal base, though he travelled widely and worked in several parts of the country, particularly in the south. During this period he established a reputation as a painter of landscapes and especially sea-pieces, which were admired by patrons for their lively handling and dramatic composition. Irish sources describe him as talented but somewhat eccentric and indolent, producing work irregularly and often only when financial necessity compelled him to paint. Among his documented activities was his employment in 1728 by the tapestry manufacturer Robert Baillie...
Oil
$6,500
17th Century Memento Mori Vanitas Skull Old Master Oil Ex-Christie’s
Located in Yardley, PA
This wonderful 17th-century French School vanitas painting is a meditation on mortality and the transience of earthly pleasures. The composition centers on a finely rendered human sk...
Canvas, Oil
Shipping off Jersey
By Francis Swaine
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
Francis Swaine (1725-1782) Shipping of Jersey Oil on canvas Painting size 8 1/4 x 20 1/2 in Framed size Provenance with The Parker Gallery. Francis Swaine (1725–1782) was one of t...
Oil
$3,753Sale Price|20% Off
Huge Antique Oil Painting Oval Portrait of Mary Magdalene Holding Ointment Jar
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of Mary Magdalene with an Ointment Jar Spanish School, early 20th century, unsigned after the earlier 16th century painting by Jan van Scorel oil on panel, framed framed: 4...
Oil
Period Marine Landscape Credited to Warren Sheppard
Located in Roma, IT
This beautiful painting, due to its very high quality of execution, style and era, can be referred to the great artist Warren Sheppard, who specialized in seascapes. Of great evocati...
Canvas, Oil
$993Sale Price|20% Off
Fine Large Oil Painting Portrait of the Lady with the Fan Diego Velazquez
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of the Lady with a Fan English School, second half 20th century after Diego Velazquez's (1599-1660) original painting oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas : 36 x 28 inche...
Oil
$1,391Sale Price|20% Off
Fine 17th Century Italian Old Master Oil Painting Portrait of the Madonna
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of the Madonna in Prayer 17th Century Italian School oil on board, framed framed: 6.75 x 6 inches board: 5 x 4 inches Provenance: private collection, England Condition: ver...
Oil
$7,854Sale Price|20% Off
Still-Life Flowers Stanchi Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy Art
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Giovanni Stanchi (Rome, 1608–1675) Workshop Still Life with a Vase of Flowers Oil on canvas 76 x 61 cm. - Framed (with imperfections) 93 x 77 cm. The composition features a l...
Oil
$4,360Sale Price|20% Off
Fine Italian Old Master Oil Painting c. 1700's The Madonna Christ Child St. John
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Madonna, Christ Child and St. John Italian Old Master, circa 1700's period oil painting on canvas, unframed Canvas: 28.5 x 24 inches conditon: overall very good for its age, a fe...
Canvas, Oil
$4,195Sale Price|20% Off
Adoration of the Shepherds by a follower of Denys Calvaert
Located in Stockholm, SE
Unknown Italo-Flemish Artist (active circa 1600) Adoration of the Shepherds oil on copper unframed: 32 × 25.5 cm (12.6 × 10 in) framed: 43 × 37 cm (16.9 × 14.6 in) Provenance: Acq...
Copper
$1,987Sale Price|20% Off
Antique French Old Master Oil Painting Christ Healing the Sick in Jersusalem
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Christ Healing the Sick French School, 19th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 15 x 20.5 inches Provenance: private collection, Europe Condition: some craquelure throughout, mo...
Oil
Still Life of Game with Spaniels and Falcons in a Landscape by Carstian Luyckx
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Still Life of Game with Spaniels and Falcons in Landscape Setting Carstian Luyckx (Flemish, 1623 – c.1675) Oil on canvas Circa 1670 Unsigned 43 ½ x 59 1/8 in.; Frame 52 7/8 x 68 7/...
Oil, Canvas
$7,727Sale Price|20% Off
Fine 18th Century Italian Classical Huge Oil Painting Figures Animals Landscape
By Jan Frans van Bloemen (Orizzonte)
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Figures & Animals in Classical Landscape circle of Jans Frans Van Bloemen (Orizzonte 1662 - 1749), unsigned oil on canvas, framed framed: 28.5 x 42.5 inches canvas: 19 x 34 inches P...
Oil
An interior of a Gothic cathedral with figures
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
Bartholomeus van Bassen (The Hague 1590-1652) An interior of a Gothic cathedral with figures signed and dated 'B v Bassen / 1650' (on pillar, lower right) Oil on panel Painting size ...
Oil
French school, circa 1840, Portrait of a Gentleman, oil on wood, signed
Located in Paris, FR
French school, circa 1840, Portrait of a Gentleman, monogrammed D.L. on the lower right oil on wood panel 28.8 x 24,8 In a beautiful antique frame : 48 x 43.5 cm This gentleman’s...
Oil
Saint Bruno of Cologne - Oil on Canvas - 19th Century
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Old religious themed oil painting on canvas representing Saint Bruno of Cologne, founder of the Carthusian Order, recognizable by his white habit and the characteristic gesture of si...
Oil
$1,379Sale Price|20% Off
17th Century Dutch Oil Painting Figures outside Building in Ancient Landscape
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Figures in Landscape Dutch School, 17th century oil on wood panel, framed in antique wooden frame framed: 14.5 x 17 inches panel : 10 x 12 inches Provenance: private collection, Engl...
Oil
$19,390Sale Price|20% Off
Queen Artemisia Cupid Cairo Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Francesco Cairo (Milan 1607 – 1665), workshop of Queen Artemisia with a Cupid Oil on canvas 129 x 109 cm – Framed 143 x 125 cm. Reference bibliography: Francesco Cairo 1607–1...
Oil
$2,207Sale Price|20% Off
Very Large Antique French Old Master Oil Painting after Rembrandt, self portrait
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, 19th century, after the earlier work by Rembrandt Title: Self portrait of the artist Medium: oil on canvas, framed in antique gilt swept frame. Fra...
Oil
The Famous racehorse 'Flying Childers' held by a groom
By Thomas Spencer
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
Thomas Spencer (c.1740-1756) The Famous racehorse 'Flying Childers' held by a groom Oil on canvas Not Signed Canvas size 25 x 30 in Framed size 33 x 38 in Flying Childers was one of...
Oil
$8,831Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of a Sixty Year Old Woman - Dutch Old Master art oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This strong Dutch Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to a follower of Anthony Van Dyck. Van Dyck painted the original portrait in 1618 as he noted top right Anno 1618. He...
Oil
A Dutch Whaling Fleet off the Greenland Coast
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
Adam Silo (1674-1764) A Dutch Whaling Fleet off the Greenland Coast Oil on canvas No visible signature Canvas Size 16 7/8 x 24 3/8 in Framed Size 24 x 31 1/2 in Provenance With Fran...
Oil
A peacock surrounded by other birds, in a landscape
By Marmaduke Cradock
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
Attributed to Marmaduke Craddock (1660-1716) A peacock surrounded by other birds, in a landscape Oil on canvas Canvas Size 40 x 50 in Framed Size 46...
Oil
$1,517Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Continental Old Master oil after Murillo, fine gilt frame
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: 18th/ 19th century Continental School, after Murillo Title: Figures eating Grapes Medium: signed oil painting on metal, framed. Size:...
Oil
$9,499Sale Price|30% Off
Still Life with Oysters - The earliest known still life in Swedish art history
Located in Stockholm, SE
This previously unpublished painting was first securely attributed to Govert Dircksz Camphuysen in 1944, following an examination at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm during which the ...
Oak, Oil, Wood Panel
18th Century German Old Master Portrait of an Elderly Bearded Man
By Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich
Located in Stockholm, SE
Circle of Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich (1712–1774) Germany Head of an Elderly Bearded Man oil on panel unframed 28 × 22.5 cm (11 × 8.9 in) framed 44.5 × 38.5 cm (17.5 × 15.2 in...
Oil, Wood Panel
$2,870Sale Price|20% Off
Huge 18th Century Italian Old Master Oil Painting Still Life Fruit in Basket
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Classical Still Life of Fruit in Basket with other objects Italian artist, 18th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 24.5 x 33 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition:...
Oil
$1,650Sale Price|20% Off
Fine 1800's French Oil Figures by Monastic Ruins Stream Bucolic Landscape
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Monastic Ruins by a Stream French School, early 1800's oil on canvas, framed Framed 15 x 19 inches Canvas : 12.5 x 16 inches Provenance: private collection, France Condition: very go...
Oil
$1,766Sale Price|20% Off
Fine 17th Century Flemish Oil Painting Cavalry Skirmish Many Figures & Horses
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Cavalry Skirmish Flemish School, 17th century circle of Pieter Wouvermans, unsigned oil on canvas, framed framed: 12 x 14 inches canvas: 9.5 x 11.5 inches Provenance: private col...
Oil
$1,308Sale Price|20% Off
17th Century Dutch Old Master Oil Painting Oval Shape Figures in Tavern Interior
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Tavern Interior Dutch School, 17th century oil on metal, framed framed: 8 x 6.75 inches painting: 6 x 4.25 inches provenance: private collection condition: very good and sound condit...
Oil
Inmaculada Concepción, Oil on Canvas, 1920s, Signed, 100x73 cm
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va firmada por el artista en la parte inferior Se presenta sin enmarcar la pintura Estado aceptable de conservación el de la pintura Medidas obra: 100 cm. de altura x 73 c...
Oil
Fine 17thC British Portrait Aristocratic Lady Holding Flowers Huge Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of an Aristocratic Lady Holding Flowers in a Landscape Setting English School, 17th century, circle of Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680) inscribed 'C Wither of Hall Place' oil on ...
Oil
17th century follower of Rubens, two military men on horse back in a landscape
Located in Woodbury, CT
17th century English/Dutch School, from the Circle of Sir Peter Paul Rubens A very interesting and well-painted 17th-century oil on canvas of two men seated on horseback in a landsc...
Canvas, Oil
$10,431Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait Noblewoman Van Loo Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas Old master French
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Jean-Baptiste van Loo (Aix-en-Provence, 1684–1745) circle Portrait of a Lady Oil on canvas 93 x 77 cm. In antique frames (with imperfections) 103 x 87 cm. The painting depicts...
Oil
$2,649Sale Price|20% Off
Large Traditional Dutch River Landscape with Old Town & Houses Signed Oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Landscape in Holland (titled verso) Dutch School, 20th century signed oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 30 x 42 inches canvas: 24 x 36 inches provenance: private collection, Eng...
Oil, Canvas
17th century English Birds on a pond and in flight, Ducks, Swans, Kingfisher
By Francis Barlow
Located in Woodbury, CT
Studio of Francis Barlow, English, late 17th century Birds on a Pond with Waterfowl and Birds in Flight Oil on canvas Un-signed Presented in an antique English carved wood frame A f...
Canvas, Oil
$1,534
CAVALRY BATTLE- Antonio Savisio - Neapolitan School - Oil on canvas Painting,
Located in Napoli, IT
Land Battle - Antonio Savisio Italia 2006 - Oil on canvas diam. cm. 30 Gold leaf gilded and laquered wooden frame cm. 47x47 Maestro Antonio Savisio drew inspiration from the master...
Canvas, Oil
Flemish School, Oil on Panel – Interior Scene with Figures
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Charming 19th-century oil on panel attributed to the Flemish School, anonymous artist. This work depicts an intimate interior scene with several figures engaged in daily life, charac...
Oil, Panel
$3,808Sale Price|20% Off
The Madonna with Christ Child & St. John Fine 18th Century Italian Old Master
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Madonna, Christ Child and St. John Italian School, 18th century oil on wood, framed in period gilt antique frame framed: 16 x 14.5 inches wood: 9 x 6.5 inches provenance: private...
Oil
$8,467Sale Price|20% Off
Queen Sofonisba Portrait Nuvolone Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Carlo Francesco Nuvolone (Milan 1609 – Milan 1662), attributed The Suicide of Queen Sofonisba Oil on canvas 76 x 60 cm. - In frame 100 x 85 cm. This painting captures the tr...
Oil