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.
18th Century French Orientalist Portrait of Arab Man in Turban, oil painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of Arab Man in Turban French artist, 18th century oil on canvas, framed Framed: 21 x 16.5 inches Canvas : 18.5 x 14 inches Provenance: private collection, France Condition: ...
Oil, Canvas
$4,138Sale Price|20% Off
Still-Life Flowers 17th century Flemish School Paint Oil on table Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
17th-century Flemish school Still life with flowers Oil on panel 33 x 25 cm In frame 50 x 42 cm The painting depicts a wonderful still life of flowers, where numerous colour...
Oil
Escuela española (XVIII) - Óleo sobre tela - San Francisco de Asís
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Como pueden apreciar, la obra no va firmada Se presenta enmarcada la obra con un marco del siglo xix en madera estucada y policromada (el marco presenta algún leve descolche) El es...
Oil
$12,775Sale Price|30% Off
18th century English portrait of a Hound or Gun Dog in a landscape
Located in Woodbury, CT
This exquisite early 19th-century English portrait of a gun dog or foxhound by Thomas Weaver is a masterpiece of sporting art that offers both historical...
Canvas, Oil
$8,868Sale Price|20% Off
Rape Of Europa Paint De Matteis 18th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy Art
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
The Rape of Europa Circle of Paolo De Matteis (Piano Vetrale, 1662 - Naples, 1728) oil on canvas (cm.) 57 x 98 - with gilded wooden frame 77 x 118 cm. FULL DETAILS OF THE PAIN...
Oil
Amsterdam Harbour Scene with Figures Dutch 17th Century art marine oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This superb Dutch 17th century Golden Age Old Master cityscape oil painting of Amsterdam is by noted artist Jacobus Storck. Painted circa 1670, ...
Oil
One of the oldest depiction of Venezia by an Antwerp painter of the 17th century
Located in PARIS, FR
15 3/8 “x 22 1/8” (39.2 x 56.3 cm) – Framed : 20 5/8’’ x 28” (52.5 x 71 cm) Provenance: Sotheby's London, December 7, 1994, lot 165 Guilloché frame in blackened wood - 17th century ...
Copper
Two partridges in a mountainous landscape
By Stephen Elmer
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
Stephen Elmer (1715-1796) Two partridges in a mountainous landscape Oil on canvas Painting size 15 x 18 in Framed size 17 1/2 x 21 1/2 in Stephen Elmer (1715–1796) was one of the le...
Oil
$8,877Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait Duchess Woman 17th Century Paint Van Gelder Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Jan van Gelder, Italianised as Giovanni Vangheldri (Antwerp 1621 – Modena 1685) Portrait of the Duchess Vittoria Farnese d'Este (Parma, 1618 – Modena, 1649) wife of Francesco I d'E...
Oil
$1,138Sale Price|20% Off
Escuela flamenca (siglo xviii) - Óleo sobre tela - Paisaje con figura a caballo
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra no va firmada, es de autor anónimo Se presenta enmarcada la pintura El estado de la obra se puede ver, es aceptable, pero con algunas restauraciones antiguas y la tela está...
Oil
The Nativity of Christ
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Anonymous 15th Century Italian, Probably Milan area The Nativity of Christ Pigments, ink and gold leaf on vellum Unsigned as is always the case with illuminated manuscripts The Virgi...
Pigment
Still Life of Flowers in vase on Ledge - Dutch 17thC Old Master art oil painting
By Simon Pietersz Verelst 1
Located in Hagley, England
This stunning 17th century Dutch Old Master Golden Age floral oil painting is by noted Dutch artist Simon Pietersz Verelst. The full attribution...
Oil
$19,786
An Italianate landscape with a messenger & his horse on a wooded path, a lake
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
John Tobias Young (1786-1828) An Italianate landscape with a messenger & his horse on a wooded path, a lake & ancient ruins beyond Signed & dated “J. Young 1821” lower centre Oil on ...
Oil
COUNTRY LANDSCAPE - Italian School - Italian Oil on Canvas Painting
Located in Napoli, IT
Country Landscape - Emilio Pergola Italia 2005 - Oil on canvas cm.80x120. This oil on canvas painting depicts a pastoral scene. The painting assumes as its subject a form of landsca...
Canvas, Oil
Classical Landscape - French 17th century art Old Master oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This superb 17th century French Old Master oil painting is attributed to Jean Francois Millet. Painted circa 1670 it is a classical landscape with figures by a bend in a river in the...
Oil
$5,800Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait Man Pourbus 16/17th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master Flemish
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Frans Pourbus (Bruges, 1545 - Antwerp, 1581) circle Portrait of a gentleman in Renaissance dress with a black doublet and ruff Late 16th century Oil on canvas 46 x 32 cm. - 65 x 53...
Oil
$11,244Sale Price|20% Off
St. Roch Santacroce Paint 16th Century Oil on canvas Old master Religious Italy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Francesco di Girolamo da Santacroce (Venice, 1516–1584) Saint Roch Oil on canvas 126 x 68 cm. Framed: 137 x 80 cm. The painting depicts Saint Roch (a companion piece featur...
Oil
17th-Century Still Life by Pietro Bozzi: "Still Life" (Oil on Canvas: Red Cherries)
Located in Sanremo, IT
Painting, oil on canvas, measuring 53 x 70 cm unframed and 69 x 86 cm with a period frame, depicting a still life of fruits and vegetables by the painter Pietro Paolo Bonzi, known as...
Canvas, Oil
$6,754Sale Price|49% Off
Fisherfolk unloading the days catch
By John Thomas Serres
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
John Thomas Serres (1759-1825) Fisherfolk unloading the days catch Oil on canvas Canvas Size - 17 x 25 in Framed Size - 22 x 30 in John Thomas Serres, a luminary in the realm of mar...
Oil
Virgin and Child Italian School Oil Painting on Canvas, Late 18th Century
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra no va firmada Se presenta enmarcada la obra con un marco en madera dorada del siglo xix (el marco presenta algunas ligeras faltas sin importancia) Medidas obra: 20 x 17 cm....
Oil
$1,001Sale Price|20% Off
Escuela Colonial - Óleo sobre cristal - Virgen con niño.
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Muy interesante ÓLEO SOBRE CRISTAL, representando a una Virgen con Niño, de finales del siglo XVIII principios del XIX. Escuela colonial, va con un fino marco de madera dorada al oro...
Oil
$10,050Sale 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
$9,351Sale Price|20% Off
Madonna Child Maria Sassoferrato Paint Oil on canvas 17th Century Old master Art
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Giovan Battista Salvi known as 'il Sassoferrato' (1609 - 1685) circle/ workshop Madonna with sleeping child Oil on canvas 84 x 66 cm - Framed (19th century) 112 x 95 cm The paintin...
Oil
$2,995
17th Century Flemish Old Master Oil Tavern Interior Drinkers Sloped over Tables
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Tavern Interior Flemish School, 17th century oil on canvas, framed framed: 13.5 x 18 canvas: 11 x 16 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound cond...
Oil
Marquise d'Espinay, 17th Century French Lady portrait by Francois de Troy
Located in PARIS, FR
Portrait of the Marquise d'Espinay by François de Troy (Toulouse, 1645 - Paris, 1730) Late 17th century French School, circa 1685 Oil on canvas , 72 cm high, 56 cm wide (28.34 in x ...
Canvas, Oil
$7,693Sale Price|20% Off
Madonna Maria Piola Paint Oil on canvas 17/18th Century Old master Religious
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Anton Maria Piola (Genoa, 1654 - 1715) circle Madonna and Child Genoese school of the second half of the 17th century Oil on canvas 93 x 74 cm.- In antique frame 110 x 92 cm. (Work with expertise by Dr. Arabella Cifani) In the pleasing work proposed, depicting a classical Nativity scene, the Madonna is immortalised in adoration as she gently holds the sheet on which the Child is lying, with a gesture of protection and pride that facilitates an atmosphere of intimate recollection, in addition to the presence of three cherubs at the top. The stylistic analysis of the canvas can easily be traced back to a painter of the Genoese school and active during the 17th century, specifically with the devotional works from the workshop of Domenico Piola (Genoa, 1627-1703), an absolute protagonist of Genoese Baroque culture. Piola was the owner of the most important city painting workshop of the time, known as 'Casa Piola', where his sons Paolo Gerolamo and Anton Maria also collaborated. His production, which specialised in a type of highly decorative, profane and allegorical paintings, destined for the decoration of Genoese patrician palaces, also included a refined series of works of a religious nature. In particular, the style of our beautiful breast painting...
Oil
Portrait of a Lady, Agatha Halyburton later Countess of Morton Fine Carved Frame
Located in London, GB
This magnificent and exceptionally decorative portrait of a young woman is one of those early Georgian images in which likeness, sumptuous colour and symbolic meaning combine to unus...
Canvas, Oil
Escuela Italiana (XIX) - Judith (Según Cristofano Allori)
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra no va firmada El estado de conservación es bueno Se presenta enmarcada la obra con un marco posterior a la obra Medidas de la obra: 40 cm. de altura x 33 cm. de ancho. Me...
Oil
18th Century Oil on Canvas Portrait, Major Alexander Brown in Military Uniform.
By Sir David Wilkie
Located in Cotignac, FR
18th Century Military portrait of a young officer in Napoleonic period military dress. The painting is not signed but the subject is Major Alexander Brown. The work is oil on canvas later mounted on board and presented in a fine 'Regence style' carved gilt frame. There are labels to the back referring to the subject, 'Major Brown of Trinity' and a framers trade label from Edinburgh. A magnificent and imposing portrait of a young military officer in the prime of his life. His red uniform adorned with fine buttons, fringed epaulettes and high gilt collar. His ruddy complexion offset by his stylish hair, a quiff and swept forward to the sides as was the fashion at the time. Sir David Wilkie RA (18 November 1785 – 1 June 1841) was a Scottish painter, especially known for his portraits, including formal royal ones, and scenes from his travels to Europe and the Middle East. He painted successfully in a wide variety of genres, including historical scenes. His main base was in London, but he died and was buried at sea, off Gibraltar, returning from his first trip to the Middle East. He was sometimes known as the "people's painter". He was Principal Painter in Ordinary to King William IV and Queen Victoria. Apart from royal portraits, his best-known painting today is probably The Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Waterloo Dispatch of 1822 in Apsley House. Sir David Wilkie was actually admitted in 1799 (despite only being 14) through the influence of the Earl of Leven...
Canvas, Oil, Board
French Old Master The Garden of Gethsemane Unusual Shape Panel
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, 18th century Title: The Garden of Gethsemane Medium: oil painting on wooden panel, unframed. painting: measurem...
Oil
Portrait of a Gentleman in a Landscape - British Old Master art oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This superb British 18th century Old Master portrait oil painting is by William Williams of Norwich. It was painted circa 1780, after he had returned to England from in Philadelphia ...
Oil
$10,179Sale Price|20% Off
Carnival Rome Colonna square Cerquozzi 17th Century Paint Oil on canvas Italy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Carnival in Rome in Piazza Colonna Roman school of bamboccianti (mid-17th century) - workshop of Michelangelo Cerquozzi (Rome 1602 - Rome 1660) Oil on canvas 74 x 96 cm. - Framed 88...
Oil
$8,158Sale 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
19th century oil painting Highland Pony and Retriever, Robert cleminson
Located in York, GB
19th century oil painting Highland Pony and Retriever, Robert cleminson. A fine painting depicting a Highland Pony and Retriever, with the days bag. An oil on canvas, signed lowe...
Oil
Large Ornate Classical Flowers in Vase Still Life Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Classical Still Life of Flowers by the Miguel Canals Studio, Spain oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 23.5 x 18 inches Provenance: Private collection Condition: very good condition Fo...
Oil
18th Century French Oil Painting Tavern Scene Interior Merry Making Figures
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Merry Makers in the Tavern French School, 18th century oil on canvas canvas: 8 x 11 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: good and sound condition
Oil, Canvas
$1,001Sale Price|20% Off
Escuela Francesa (XIX) - Les cascatelles de Tivoli (Tras Jean Honoré Fragonard)
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra no va firmada, es de autor anónimo Se presenta enmarcada la obra El estado de la obra se puede ver, es aceptable, solo presenta alguna leve falta (apreciable en las fotogra...
Oil
$18,938Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait Duchess Wissing Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master English
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Willem Wissing (Amsterdam, 1656 – Stamford, 1687) attributed Portrait of the Duchess of Marlborough as Minerva Oil on canvas 128 x 103 cm – in a gilt frame 149 x 125 cm. Prov...
Oil
Huge I1600's Italian Old Master Oil on Canvas Jesus at House of Mary & Martha
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Jesus at the House of Mary & Martha Italian artist, 1600's oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 32.5 x 56.5 inches Provenance: Private collection, England Condition: for a work of such mo...
Oil, Canvas
$8,049Sale Price|20% Off
Diana Boullogne Mythological Paint Oil on canvas old master 17/18th Century
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Bon Boullogne (Paris, 1649 - Paris, 1717) workshop of Episodes from the myth of Diana oil painting on canvas Dimensions: 84 x 114 cm. with antique frame 100 x 132 cm. The beautiful painting proposed shows a series of episodes taken from the myth of the divinity Diana, the Roman divinity of hunting, forests and wild animals, masterfully captured in this valuable painting, which shows a luxuriant wood, a favorite place of the divinity, as a theater of his adventures. The composition opens, on the left, with a sort of presentation of the divinity, portrayed as an attractive young girl, surrounded by her faithful Nymphs, one of whom holds her quiver with arrows, and by one of her beloved dogs. hunting her. The 'story' continues in the central part where we can see the divinity during a wild boar hunt...
Oil
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
$10,405Sale Price|20% Off
Triumph Bacchus Mythological Spoede Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Jean Jacques Spoede (Antwerp 1680 - Paris 1757) Triumph of Bacchus Oil on canvas 66 x 83 cm. - In frame 84 x 101 cm. In this fascinating painting, attributed to Jean Jacque...
Oil
18th-century French school, Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph, oil on paper
Located in Paris, FR
18th-century French school Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph oil on paper 8 x 14 cm (view) In a modern frame 27 x 35 cm The subject of this small painting can be identified as Jaco...
Oil
Singer by Candlelight (Dutch School Old Master Genre Scene)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful Dutch School painting dating from 17th century. Oil on wood panel measuring 10 3/8 x 14 7/16 inches. Unsigned. No inpainting or conservation. Depicted is a scene with a beautiful young woman singing...
Oil, Wood Panel
$27,500
Flemish Early 17th Century Old Master Oil on Panel Painting Hunting Scene 1620
Located in Portland, OR
A highly important Flemish Old Master oil painting by Peter Van Lint (1609-1690), titled "Preparing for the Hunt", the painting is dated & signed by the artist, 1620. The painting wa...
Oil, Panel
19th Century English, Norfolk School landscape with figure on a path with trees
Located in Woodbury, CT
Norfolk School English, circa 1830–1840 Extensive Landscape with Figure on a Path Oil on wooden panel Unsigned A finely composed early 19th-century English landscape, painted circa...
Oil, Wood Panel
The Annunciation, Flemish 17th century oil on copper, attributed to Peter Candid
Located in PARIS, FR
The Annunciation Attributed to Peter Candid (Bruges 1548 - Munich 1628) Early 17th century Flemish school Oil on copper, h. 32 cm, l. 28 cm 17th century carved wooden frame "a la cas...
Copper
$2,704Sale Price|20% Off
Animated harbor scene
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas Black wooden frame 71 x 91 x 3 cm
Oil
Fine 18th Century English Aristocratic Portrait of a Lady Oval Canvas Gilt Frame
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: English School, circa 1740's Title: Portrait of a Lady, traditionally identified as 'Anne of Chesterfield'. Medium: oil painting on canvas, framed Size: painting: ...
Canvas, Oil
$32,749
Portrait of a Bull - Dutch Old Master art animal portrait oil painting
By Paulus Potter
Located in Hagley, England
This stunning Dutch Old Master animal portrait oil painting is attributed to circle or follower of Paulus Potter. Painted circa 1650 it is th...
Oil
$1,750Sale Price|30% Off
Old Masters European Antique Oval Portrait of a Woman
By (After) Peter Paul Rubens
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful portrait of a young woman in the manner of Peter Paul Rubens. Oil on oval canvas measuring 12 7/8 x 16 inches. Unsigned. Canvas was originally painted for rectangular for...
Linen, Oil
Pair of Grand Tour Italian Neapolitan Costal Landscape
Located in Roma, IT
An important and extremely rare pair of Italian landscapes from the Neoclassical period, painted using the refined technique of tempera. They depict views of the Tyrrhenian coast ne...
Paper, Tempera
$1,274Sale Price|30% Off
Escuela colonial mejicana siglo XVIII - San Antonio con el niño
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Escuela colonial mejicana; siglo XVIII. “San Antonio con el Niño”. Óleo sobre tabla. Medidas: 28 x 21 cm. Gran pieza para coleccionistas de arte religioso de calidad San Antonio de Padua...
Oil
$9,560
Salvator Mundi, Florentine school, Jacopo Giorgi, Studio of Cesare Dandini XVIIc
Located in Firenze, IT
Salvator Mundi. Jacopo Giorgi (Florence 1623–1665), circle of Cesare Dandini Not signed. Oil on copper circa 1660–1665 22 × 15.5 cm (unframed) The painting is accompanied by an exp...
Copper
$7,095Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of a Gentleman in Green Coat -British 18thC art Old Master oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This lovely 18th century Old Master portrait oil painting is by noted British artist Francis Cotes. It was painted circa 1760 when Cotes was preferring oil as a medium and comparison...
Oil
Henri IV, King of France, attributed to Francois Quesnel, 17th c., oil on panel
Located in PARIS, FR
Portrait of Henri IV, King of France and Navarre (1553–1610) Attributed to François Quesnel (1543–1619) Paris, circa 1600, early 17th century Oil on oak panel Dimensions: H. 22.05 i...
Oil, Wood Panel
$19,786
The Herring Fleet
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
Adam Silo (1674-1764) The Herring Fleet 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 Frank T. Sabin Gallery, London; ...
Oil
$1,638Sale Price|20% Off
Escuela española (XVIII) - Óleo sobre tela - San Juan Bautista
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Escuela Española siglo XVIII Se trata de un óleo sobre tela representando a San Juan Bautista Se presenta sin enmarcar la obra Medidas: 104 x 83 cm. El estado se puede ver, pres...
Oil
Luca Giordano, The Judgement of Solomon, Important Baroque Oil Sketch
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Luca GIORDANO (Naples 1634 – 1705) The Judgement of Solomon, circa 1670 Oil on canvas 38 × 48 cm - Unsigned Collection stamp on the reverse depicting a Roman intaglio. The same ma...
Canvas, Oil
$19,530Sale Price|20% Off
Samson Delilah Molinari Paint 17/18th Century Oil on canvas Old master Religious
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Antonio Molinari (Venice, 1655–1704) Attributed to Samson and Delilah Oil on canvas 122 x 148 cm. - Framed 135 x 160 cm. The subject of this fine work is recounted in the Bi...
Oil