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Old Masters Paintings

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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.

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Style: Old Masters
Allegory of Abundance

Allegory of Abundance

Located in New York, NY

Painted in collaboration with Hendrick van Balen (Antwerp, 1575 – 1632). Provenance: Private Collection, Uruguay, since the 1930s. The eldest son of Jan Br...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Copper

Armenti in front of the old waterfall in Tivoli Oil on Canvas with Frame
Armenti in front of the old waterfall in Tivoli Oil on Canvas with Frame

Armenti in front of the old waterfall in Tivoli Oil on Canvas with Frame

By Philipp Peter Roos (Rosa di Tivoli)

Located in Pistoia, IT

Philipp Peter Roos, known as Rosa da Tivoli (Sankt Goar, August 30, 1657 - Rome, January 17, 1706) Armenti in front of Tivoli's old waterfall Joining our collection is a beautiful...

Category

1680s Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Escuela española (XVIII) - Óleo sobre tela - San Francisco de Asís
Escuela española (XVIII) - Óleo sobre tela - San Francisco de Asís

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...

Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Figures Chatting outside Village Tavern in Mountain Landscape, Period Oil
Figures Chatting outside Village Tavern in Mountain Landscape, Period Oil

Figures Chatting outside Village Tavern in Mountain Landscape, Period Oil

By 19th century Dutch or Flemish school

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Dutch/ Flemish School, early 1800's oil on canvas, framed framed: 19 x 24 inches canvas: 13.5 x 18.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: good and sound condition...

Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Allegory Painting Drawing Trémolières Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas France
Allegory Painting Drawing Trémolières Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas France

Allegory Painting Drawing Trémolières Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas France

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Pierre Charles Trémolières (Cholet, 1703 - Paris, 1739) Allegory of Painting and Drawing Oil on canvas 86 x 112 cm In original lacquered frames 122 x 95 cm. Work accompanied...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Tavern Interior, 18th Century Old Master, Figurative Oil Painting by Schaak
A Tavern Interior, 18th Century Old Master, Figurative Oil Painting by Schaak

A Tavern Interior, 18th Century Old Master, Figurative Oil Painting by Schaak

Located in Greven, DE

A Tavern Interior - 18th Century Old Master, Figurative Oil Painting by Schaak Little is known about the artist J.S.C. Schaak. He was active in England as a portraitist between 1760-1770. His name indicates his German or Dutch origin. Especially portraits of generals...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Copper

Multiplication Loaves Solimena Paint 17/8th Century Oil on canvas Old master Art
Multiplication Loaves Solimena Paint 17/8th Century Oil on canvas Old master Art

Multiplication Loaves Solimena Paint 17/8th Century Oil on canvas Old master Art

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Angelo Solimena (Canale di Serino 1629 - Barra, 1716) Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes Oil on canvas 60 x 102 cm Framed 76 x 116 cm Work accompanied by an expert repo...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Temptations Of Saint Anthony Mola Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master
Temptations Of Saint Anthony Mola Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master

Temptations Of Saint Anthony Mola Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Pier Francesco Mola ‘il Ticinese’ (Coldrerio, 1612 – Rome, 1666) workshop The Temptations of Saint Anthony Oil on canvas 75 x 62 cm. - Framed (with defects) 82 x 71 cm. The the...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Allegory Poetry Trémolières Paint 18th Century OIl on canvas Old master France
Allegory Poetry Trémolières Paint 18th Century OIl on canvas Old master France

Allegory Poetry Trémolières Paint 18th Century OIl on canvas Old master France

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Pierre Charles Trémolières (Cholet, 1703 - Paris, 1739) Allegory of Poetry (the Muse Calliope) Oil on canvas (86 x 112 cm - In original lacquered frames 122 x 95 cm.) Work ac...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

French Old Master Antique Oil Painting For Restoration Figures Classical Landscp
French Old Master Antique Oil Painting For Restoration Figures Classical Landscp

French Old Master Antique Oil Painting For Restoration Figures Classical Landscp

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Figures in a Classical Landscape French School, 18th/ 19th century oil painting on copper, unframed copper: 4 x 5 inches provenance: private collection condition: the work has paint ...

Category

19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Apollo Marsyas Batoni Paint 18th CEntury Oil on canvas Old master Mythological
Apollo Marsyas Batoni Paint 18th CEntury Oil on canvas Old master Mythological

Apollo Marsyas Batoni Paint 18th CEntury Oil on canvas Old master Mythological

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Apollo and Marsyas Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (Lucca 1708 – Rome 1787) circle oil on canvas (65 x 83 cm. - framed 84 x 102 cm.) Provenance: Private collection, Rome The subject...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Madonna Maria Sassoferrato Paint Oil on canvas Old master 18th Century Italian
Madonna Maria Sassoferrato Paint Oil on canvas Old master 18th Century Italian

Madonna Maria Sassoferrato Paint Oil on canvas Old master 18th Century Italian

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Madonna with Sleeping Child Follower of Giovan Battista Salvi known as 'il Sassoferrato' (1609 - 1685) Roman painter 18th century Oil on canvas Measurements: canvas 64 x 50 cm, in frame 76 x 62 cm. This delicate depiction of the Madonna in adoration of the Child exhibits all the human dimension and sweetness of the maternal atmosphere: Mary clasps the sleeping child to her in a tender embrace, which touches her cheek, enveloped and protected by the mantle and even a flap of the mother's veil. The pictorial style and composition recall the ambit of Giovan Battista Salvi, the Sassoferrato, who distinguished himself expressly for this subject, with the Virgin immortalised in a humble and strongly earthly pose, depicted with simple white, red and blue colours and delicate plays of nuances on the faces and hands. This iconographic prototype was so successful that it became the painting for countless works destined for devotion during the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly appreciated for private commissions due to its marked gentleness and formal perfection, particularly of the faces. Born in Marchigiano, Salvi developed his activity in Rome, following the dictates of the classicist sacred painting of the Bolognese school of Reni, Carracci and Domenichino, but succeeding in having an autonomous and therefore clearly distinguishable style.  In very good overall condition, there are some small scattered restorations and some unravelling of the painted surface. Framed in a beautiful gilded frame. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work is sold with a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card. We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery in Riva del Garda...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Niña con Paloma, Oil Painting in Old Masters Style, 19th Century
Niña con Paloma, Oil Painting in Old Masters Style, 19th Century

Niña con Paloma, Oil Painting in Old Masters Style, 19th Century

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

La obra es de autor anónimo Se presenta enmarcada la pintura El estado de la pintura es aceptable Medidas obra: 44 x 32 cm. Medidas marco: 57 x 44 cm.

Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Neptune Poseidon Guercino Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy Art
Neptune Poseidon Guercino Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy Art

Neptune Poseidon Guercino Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy Art

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Neptune on the Waves of the Ocean Workshop of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Il Guercino (Cento, 1591 – Bologna, 1666) Attributed to Ercole Gennari (Cento, 1597 – Bologna...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Triple Portrait" - Attributed to Giovanni Cariani (1485-1547)
"Triple Portrait" - Attributed to Giovanni Cariani (1485-1547)

"Triple Portrait" - Attributed to Giovanni Cariani (1485-1547)

Located in Wien, AT

An exceptional and rare 16th-century Venetian High Renaissance oil on canvas, titled "Triple Portrait". Elegantly composed and richly atmospheric, this work is firmly attributed to t...

Category

16th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The HMS Barfleur Heeling in the Breeze.
The HMS Barfleur Heeling in the Breeze.

The HMS Barfleur Heeling in the Breeze.

By Peter Monamy

Located in London, GB

PETER MONAMY 1681 - 1749 A British man-of-war and other vessels at sea Oil on canvas, signed lower left 'P. Monamy: Pinx[i]t' Image size: 44 1/4 x 56 1/4 inches. (112.5 x 143 cm.) Or...

Category

1720s Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Rebecca At Well De Mura Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas Old master Flemish
Rebecca At Well De Mura Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas Old master Flemish

Rebecca At Well De Mura Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas Old master Flemish

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Francesco de Mura (Naples 1696 - Naples 1782) workshop Rebecca at the Well Oil on canvas 26 x 87 cm. - Framed 38 x 99 cm. NB: The darker strip at the top of the painting is t...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Lady with a Blue Bow - British 18thC art Old Master oil painting
Portrait of a Lady with a Blue Bow - British 18thC art Old Master oil painting

Portrait of a Lady with a Blue Bow - British 18thC art Old Master oil painting

Located in Hagley, England

This superb British 18th century Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to Matthew William Peters. Painted circa 1780 it is a fine half length portrait of a woman gazing to her left. She has a lovely blue bow and sash on her dress. The sympathetic detail in her face is sublime. A really wonderful 18th century Old Master portrait. Matthew William Peters was known for his late 18th century portraits which had both the influence of Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. Provenance. Lincolnshire estate. Condition. Oil on canvas 30 inches by 25 inches unframed and in good condition. Has has restoration. Frame. Housed in an ornate gilt carved swept period frame, 40 inches by 35 inches framed and in good condition. Matthew William Peters (1742-1814) was an English portrait and genre painter who later became an Anglican clergyman and chaplain to George IV. He became known as "William" when he started signing his works as "W. Peters". Peters was born in Freshwater, Isle of Wight, the son of Matthew Peters (born at Belfast, 1711), a civil engineer and member of the Royal Dublin Society; by Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of George Younge of Dublin. The family moved from England to Dublin when Peters was young. Peters received his artistic training from Robert West in Dublin; in 1756 and 1758 he received prizes from the first School of Design in Dublin. In 1759, he was sent by the Dublin Society to London to become a student of Thomas Hudson and won a premium from the Society of Arts. The group also paid for him to travel to Italy to study art from 1761 to 1765. On 23 September 1762 he was elected to the Accademia del Disegno in Florence. Peters returned to England in 1765 and exhibited works at the Society of Artists from 1766 to 1769. Beginning in 1769, Peters exhibited works at the Royal Academy. In 1771 he was elected an associate and in 1777 an academician. He returned to Italy in 1771 and stayed until 1775. He also probably traveled to Paris in 1783–84, where he met Léopold Boilly, Antoine Vestier, and was influenced by the work of Jean-Baptiste Greuze. On 27 February 1769, Peters became a freemason, and he was made the grand portrait painter of the Freemasons and the first provincial grand master of Lincolnshire in 1792. In 1785, he exhibited portraits of the Duke of Manchester and Lord Petre as Grand Master at the Royal Academy exhibition. According to Robin Simon's article in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, no British contemporary had such an Italian manner of painting as Peters, reflecting the old masters he copied. Many of Peters' works were erotic and although these works did not damage his career, according to Simon, Peters later regretted these when he became an ordained clergyman in 1781. He served as the Royal Academy's chaplain from 1784 to 1788, at which time he resigned to become chaplain to the Prince of Wales. In 1784, Peters was awarded the living of Scalford, Leicestershire by Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland. In 1788, the Dowager Duchess gave him the living at Knipton, at which time he also obtained that at Woolsthorpe. These livings were near to Belvoir Castle...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Salome Baptist Campi 16th Century Oil on canvas Old master Portrait Italy Art
Salome Baptist Campi 16th Century Oil on canvas Old master Portrait Italy Art

Salome Baptist Campi 16th Century Oil on canvas Old master Portrait Italy Art

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Bernardino Campi (Cremona 1522–1591) Salome with the Head of John the Baptist Oil on canvas 101 x 76 cm. – Framed 118 x 94 cm. Provenance: Templum Fine Art Auctions, Barcelon...

Category

16th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Escuela española - Virgen con niño - Óleo sobre tela
Escuela española - Virgen con niño - Óleo sobre tela

Escuela española - Virgen con niño - Óleo sobre tela

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

Siglo XVIII - Escuela española. Como pueden apreciar, la obra no va firmada, es de autor anónimo Se presenta enmarcada la obra con un marco bastante actual El estado de la obra es ...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

17th Century by Nicolas van Houbraken Still Life with Mushrooms Oil on Canvas
17th Century by Nicolas van Houbraken Still Life with Mushrooms Oil on Canvas

17th Century by Nicolas van Houbraken Still Life with Mushrooms Oil on Canvas

Located in Milano, Lombardia

Nicolas Van Houbraken (Messina, Italy, 1668 - Pisa, Italy, 1733) Title: Still life with mushrooms Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 26 x 32 cm - with frame 38.5 x 33.5...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

La Sagrada Familia Painting, Oil on Canvas, Mid-19th Century, Unframed
La Sagrada Familia Painting, Oil on Canvas, Mid-19th Century, Unframed

La Sagrada Familia Painting, Oil on Canvas, Mid-19th Century, Unframed

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

La obra no va firmada Se presenta sin enmarcar la obra El estado de la pintura es aceptable Medidas de la obra: 117 cm. de altura x 88 cm. de ancho

Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland c.1690–1695 Oil painting
Portrait Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland c.1690–1695 Oil painting

Portrait Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland c.1690–1695 Oil painting

By Sir Godfrey Kneller

Located in London, GB

Portrait of Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland (1653–1708) c.1690–1695 Studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723) Few portraits embody the visual authority and dynastic sy...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Galante Scene Vermeer d'Utrecht Paint Oil on canvas 18th Century Flemish Old Art
Galante Scene Vermeer d'Utrecht Paint Oil on canvas 18th Century Flemish Old Art

Galante Scene Vermeer d'Utrecht Paint Oil on canvas 18th Century Flemish Old Art

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Flemish painter of the 18th century - Follower of Jan van der Meer, called Vermeer d'Utrecht (Schoonhoven, verses 1630 - 1692) Courtship scene at the entrance of an inn oil on canvas, 70 x 62 cm. (with frame 80 x 72 cm.) This pleasant genre scene, depicting a young innkeeper conversing amiably with a gentleman as she prepares to serve him wine in a glass goblet that she still holds in her hand, is inspired by the painting made in 1653 by the Dutch painter Jan van der Meer, known as Vermeer d'Utrecht, and today kept in Paris at the Louvre Museum. Set outside an inn or a post station, the scene illustrates the theme of seduction, with the young waitress being courted by the client, a charming traveler with a changing red cloak, who tries to charm her. Yes, it is a work that harmoniously combines the painter's Dutch origins, with the stylistic characters learned during his training in his homeland, with the Italian-like characters learned during his trip to Italy around 1655. In Rome, in particular, he met and collaborated with various authors of the Bamboccianti school, first of all Jan Miel...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Painting Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, Later Emperor Paul I, 18th century
Portrait Painting Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, Later Emperor Paul I, 18th century

Portrait Painting Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, Later Emperor Paul I, 18th century

Located in London, GB

Portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (1754–1801), later Emperor Paul I of Russia After Alexander Roslin (1718–1793) Oil on canvas, oval, late 18th century This is an exceptionally handsome and historically resonant eighteenth-century portrait, uniting the immediacy of an intimate likeness with the authority of one of the defining dynastic images of Imperial Russia. Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, the future Emperor Paul I, turns towards the spectator with a composed, almost conversational expression, his youthful face emerging softly from the restrained brown background. The rich scarlet of his coat, the deep blue of the sash and the flashes of gold, lace and jewelled decoration give the picture remarkable visual distinction, while the oval format concentrates attention upon the sitter’s face and magnificent ceremonial attire. Painted during the eighteenth century, the present work is a contemporary reduced version of Alexander Roslin’s monumental state portrait of 1777, now in the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Roslin’s full-length original measures approximately 265 by 168 centimetres; here, its essential elements have been reformulated as a more intimate portrait suitable for display within an aristocratic residence, diplomatic household or private cabinet. Pavel is dressed in the height of European court fashion of the later 1770s. His scarlet habit à la française comprises a close-fitting coat and elaborately embroidered waistcoat, enriched with scrolling metallic ornament, floral motifs and a sequence of large decorative buttons. The shoulder is finished with a densely worked epaulette-like band, while a white linen stock and delicate lace jabot frame the face. His powdered hair is dressed in the fashionable bag-wig, drawn back and tied with a broad black silk ribbon. Although the costume is unmistakably Russian in its dynastic significance, its cut and ornament belong to the international language of court dress then prevailing from Versailles and Vienna to Stockholm and St Petersburg. In Roslin’s original full-length composition, the costume was completed by matching scarlet breeches, silk stockings, buckled shoes, a sword and a plumed tricorne, all identifying Pavel as both a prince of the blood and a cultivated participant in the ceremonial life of Europe’s great courts. Across his breast passes the broad blue watered-silk sash of the Imperial Order of St Andrew the First-Called, the senior Russian order of chivalry established by Peter the Great. The sash, conventionally worn from the right shoulder towards the left hip, proclaimed the sitter’s position at the summit of the imperial hierarchy. Superimposed upon it is the red-enamelled cross of the Order of St Anna, surrounded in the portrait by scintillating, jewel-like highlights. The cross had a particular dynastic resonance: the order had been founded by Pavel’s paternal grandfather, Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, in memory of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great. Pavel’s display of the two orders therefore asserted not only rank and honour, but his descent from the founder of Imperial Russia and his inheritance through the Romanov and Holstein-Gottorp lines. Contemporary portraits similarly identify Pavel through the blue sash and star of St Andrew and the red cross of St Anna. Born in St Petersburg in 1754, Pavel Petrovich was the only son of Grand Duke Peter Fyodorovich, later Emperor Peter III, and Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeyevna, the future Catherine the Great. Through his father he was a great-grandson of Peter the Great and inherited the Romanov and Holstein-Gottorp bloodlines; through his mother, born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, he was connected to the extensive network of German princely houses that shaped eighteenth-century European dynastic politics. His childhood was dominated by the uncertainties of imperial succession. Soon after his birth, the Empress Elizabeth removed him to her own household and assumed control of his upbringing. Educated under the statesman Nikita Panin, Pavel studied history, geography and mathematics and became fluent in Russian, French and German. He was eight when his father ascended the throne in 1762, only to be deposed by Catherine within months and to die shortly afterwards in confinement. Although Pavel remained the acknowledged heir, Catherine ruled for another thirty-four years and excluded him from meaningful political authority. He was therefore publicly honoured as the future sovereign while being denied the practical experience of government. In 1773 he married Princess Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, who converted to Orthodoxy as Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna. She died in April 1776 after a prolonged labour, together with her stillborn child, leaving Pavel widowed and the succession unsecured. A second marriage was arranged within months. His new bride was Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, daughter of Friedrich Eugen, later Duke of Württemberg, and Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Raised at Montbéliard in a cultivated German princely household, she converted to Orthodoxy as Maria Feodorovna and married Pavel in October 1776. The union strengthened Russia’s links with Württemberg and Brandenburg-Prussia, but also became an enduring domestic and cultural partnership. Maria was intelligent and artistically gifted, practising drawing, embroidery, ivory carving and hardstone work, while collecting books and decorative art and later supporting charitable and educational institutions. The couple had ten children, nine of whom survived childhood. Their eldest son, Alexander, succeeded Pavel as Emperor Alexander I and ruled during the Napoleonic era; their younger son Nicholas later became Emperor Nicholas I. Constantine Pavlovich became a prominent military figure and briefly stood at the centre of the succession crisis of 1825. Their daughters married into leading European dynasties: Alexandra into the Austrian imperial family, Elena into Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Maria into Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Catherine into Württemberg and Anna into the Dutch royal house. Through their children, Pavel and Maria extended Romanov influence across much of Europe. The birth of Alexander in 1777 secured the succession and prompted Catherine to give the couple the estate that became Pavlovsk, south of St Petersburg. Its Neoclassical palace, begun by Charles Cameron in the early 1780s, became closely associated with Maria’s artistic interests, family life and refined sociability. Gatchina, by contrast, reflected Pavel’s more martial character. There he developed his own court and pursued his interests in military organisation, ceremony and administrative discipline. In 1781–82 Pavel and Maria travelled through Europe as the Count and Countess of the North, visiting royal courts, artists, manufactories and antiquities collections. They acquired paintings, furniture, bronzes, sculpture, textiles and porcelain, helping to make Pavlovsk one of Russia’s most sophisticated expressions of international Neoclassical taste. Yet Catherine continued to restrict their independence, taking charge of the upbringing of Alexander and Constantine just as Empress Elizabeth had once removed Pavel from his own parents. This repetition deepened the estrangement between mother and son. Pavel finally succeeded Catherine in 1796, aged forty-two. His reign lasted little more than four years, but his Act of Succession of 1797 established male-line primogeniture and ended much of the uncertainty surrounding the Russian imperial succession. His attempts to regulate the court, army and administration, and to reverse elements of Catherine’s policies, alienated powerful members of the nobility and officer corps. In March 1801 he was assassinated during a palace coup at the Mikhailovsky Castle and was succeeded by Alexander. This knowledge lends the portrait particular poignancy: Pavel appears not as the embattled emperor of his final years, but as the elegant young heir at a moment when marriage, dynasty and the anticipated birth of a son seemed to promise stability and renewal. Roslin’s portrait should be understood within this urgent dynastic context. The Swedish painter had travelled to St Petersburg in 1775 at the personal invitation of Catherine II and was commissioned to paint monumental state portraits of the Empress, Pavel and Maria Feodorovna. The pendant portraits of the young couple presented the heir and his new wife as the polished, fertile and internationally connected future of the Romanov dynasty. Roslin recorded in 1777 that the ruling family had ordered multiple copies. At least six versions of Pavel’s portrait and twelve of Maria’s are known, and such replicas were distributed as courtly and diplomatic gifts. A pair was presented to James Harris, later First Earl of Malmesbury, then the British ambassador to Russia. The existence of numerous eighteenth-century replicas was therefore not accidental or merely commercial: repetition was integral to the commission’s political purpose. Each version extended the official image of succession from the imperial palace into allied courts, embassies and aristocratic collections. The present portrait belongs to that wider culture of dynastic dissemination. Rather than reproducing Roslin’s entire monumental setting, with its architectural balustrade, extensive Neva prospect, sword, hat and full ceremonial costume, the painter has selected the head and upper body and adapted them to an oval. This transformation changes the character of the image. The grandeur of the original remains legible in the orders, costume and confident turn of the figure, but the reduced composition produces a greater sense of proximity to Pavel himself. The face becomes dominant, and the future emperor appears less as a remote emblem of state than as a recognisable young man. The type also circulated through prints: an oval engraved version published in 1781 and now represented in the British Museum demonstrates how rapidly Roslin’s conception entered the broader visual culture of late-eighteenth-century Europe. The artistic economy in which the portrait was created differed substantially from the modern open market. In Catherine’s Russia, the most prestigious portrait production was sustained by imperial commissions, aristocratic patronage and diplomatic gift-giving. Roslin’s success was extraordinary: during approximately two years in Russia he received around seventy-five commissions, many of which had to be completed after his return west. The appetite for his work reflected both the wealth of the Russian court and its determination to present itself through the most polished international style available. Alongside imported masters such as Roslin, Russia was developing its own institutional artistic culture. The Academy of the Three Noble Arts had been founded in St Petersburg in 1757 and was elevated by Catherine in 1764 to the Imperial Academy of Arts. It recruited European teachers, trained Russian...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Jean-Marc Nattier (1685 - 1766) - Portrait of Charlotte de Hesse-Rheinfels
Jean-Marc Nattier (1685 - 1766) - Portrait of Charlotte de Hesse-Rheinfels

Jean-Marc Nattier (1685 - 1766) - Portrait of Charlotte de Hesse-Rheinfels

By Jean-Marc Nattier

Located in PARIS, FR

Jean-Marc Nattier (Paris, 1685 - 1766) and his workshop Portrait of Charlotte de Hesse-Rheinfels Oil on canvas : h. 44.09 in, w. 38.19 in 18th century carved giltwood framed Framed : h. 52.36 in, w. 47.63 in Charlotte de Hesse-Rheinfels (1714-1741), daughter of Landgrave Ernest-Léopold de Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg and Éléonore de Lowenstein-Wertheim and Kazazyan, was Princess of Condé by her marriage in 1728 to Duke Louis-Henri de Bourbon-Condé known as Monsieur le Duc. The princess is portrayed seated on a canopy of gilded wood trimmed with raspberry red velvet, the body positioned facing forward while the face is turned three-quarters to the left. The face with a thoughtful and thoughtful gaze is awakened by its large gray eyes, the translucent skin with painted cheeks accentuates the effect of a melted execution of the model. Her powdered and tied hair is adorned with an orange veil which goes down on her shoulders. The separation fades between the powdered hair and the face. Dressed in a golden yellow satin dress embellished with multiple rows of white and black lace flounces at the bodice and sleeves, the neckline of her dress reveals her bare throat. The ermine coat lined with blue velvet is placed behind his shoulders, the sides of the coat come back to the front and are arranged in angular folds on his knees. With her right hand, arm bent at the elbow, she caresses her little dog, while the left arm resting on the armrest of the armchair is extended and the index finger of her open hand points to the right. The positions of the arms and the head generate an illusion of diagonal movement allowing to break the static character of portrait. This stretching of the arms horizontally is characteristic of Nattier's works, the figure thus grows in size in the painting by occupying a larger place there. This process carried out by highlighting the elegance of refined gestures increases the natural grace of the young woman. The sober architectural background is composed of a column draped with a green curtain and flattened pilasters with Ionian capitals. The light coming from the right partially illuminates the figure, leaving the left part in shadow. Illuminated, the young woman's dress reflects golden reflections in warm orange tones, while the velvet of the coat broken into angular folds reveals its surface through icy white ridges. This opposition only accentuates the volumes and textures of the fabrics. The facial features under a subtle effect of blurred appear more softened while the pearly white complexions seem illuminated with an inner radiance. Related works: Our work is a variant of the painting executed by Jean Marc Nattier...

Category

1730s Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Saint John Baptist Pombioli Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy
Saint John Baptist Pombioli Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy

Saint John Baptist Pombioli Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Tomaso Pombioli (Crema, 1579 – Crema, 1636) Saint John the Baptist Oil on canvas 99 x 130 cm. In frame 120 x 152 cm. Reference bibliography: M. Marubbi and C. Piastrella, L'...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Zais Landscape Couple Paint Oil on canvas Old master 18th Century Italy Venice
Zais Landscape Couple Paint Oil on canvas Old master 18th Century Italy Venice

Zais Landscape Couple Paint Oil on canvas Old master 18th Century Italy Venice

By Giuseppe Zais (Canale d'Agordo, Belluno 1709 - Treviso 1781)

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Giuseppe Zais (Canale d'Agordo, Belluno 1709 - Treviso 1781) Pendant of paintings - The assault of the brigands / After the assault Oil on canvas, 108 x 42 cm. each In the frame 128...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

18th Century European Portrait of an Angel, Oil on Canvas
18th Century European Portrait of an Angel, Oil on Canvas

18th Century European Portrait of an Angel, Oil on Canvas

Located in SANTA FE, NM

18th Century European Portrait of an Angel, Oil on Canvas Unsigned 19 x 14 1/4 inches This lovely and sensitively painting has been examined by a professional restorer who was forme...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Young Girl after Sir Thomas Lawrence, Regency portrait painting
Young Girl after Sir Thomas Lawrence, Regency portrait painting

Young Girl after Sir Thomas Lawrence, Regency portrait painting

Located in Brecon, Powys

Charming work in the Regency style, mid 19th Century after Sir Thomas Lawrence. High quality painting. Old Christie's Stencil to verso. Would grace any home, suitable for contempor...

Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pair of Large 18' century Paintings The Wedding Feast of Bacchus and Ariadne
Pair of Large 18' century Paintings The Wedding Feast of Bacchus and Ariadne

Pair of Large 18' century Paintings The Wedding Feast of Bacchus and Ariadne

Located in Rome, IT

Pair of large painting oil on canvas with the Wedding Feast of Bacchus and Ariadne scene . Italy 18' century . Amazing landscape background and roman Temple with classical archite...

Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Christ Angels Pietro Da Cortona Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century  Art
Christ Angels Pietro Da Cortona Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century  Art

Christ Angels Pietro Da Cortona Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century Art

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Christ surrounded by angels in the desert Circle of Pietro da Cortona, born as Pietro Berrettini (Cortona 1597 - Rome 1669) Oils on canvas (66 x 50 cm. - in frame 80 x 64 cm.) The ...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

San Genesio De Magistris Portrait 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy
San Genesio De Magistris Portrait 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy

San Genesio De Magistris Portrait 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Simone De Magistris (Caldarola, c. 1538 – 1613) or workshop San Genesio Oil on canvas (84 x 62 cm. – Framed: 99 x 76 cm.) In the heart of ancient Rome, amid the splendor and...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Girl leaning on a pedestal
Girl leaning on a pedestal

Girl leaning on a pedestal

By Joshua Reynolds

Located in Stoke, Hampshire

After Joshua Reynolds Girl leaning on a pedestal Oil on canvas Canvas Size - 26 x 33 in Framed Size - 39 x 32 in Sir Joshua Reynolds was the leading portrait painter of 18th-century...

Category

19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Old Masters paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Old Masters 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. If you’re looking to add paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of orange, blue, yellow and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Antonio Savisio, Pietro Colonna, Goyo Dominguez, and Nicolaes Maes. 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 4.5 inches across are also available. Prices for 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 $338 and tops out at $1,495,000, while the average work sells for $7,505.