In emphasizing emotion and imagination, romantic art shifted away from the restraint of classicism and neoclassicism that had dominated art in Europe since the Renaissance. Romanticism achieved its greatest popularity in art, literature, music and philosophy between 1780 and 1830, although its expression of individual experiences ranging from awe to passion informed culture in the decades after.
Landscape painting was especially popular during the romantic period, as were nature studies of wild animals and fantasies of exotic lands. Romanticism varied across Europe as it reacted to the rise of industrialization, a more personal relationship with faith that was distanced from the church and the rationalist thinking of the Enlightenment.
British painters such as John Constable and J.M.W. Turner responded dramatically to the light and atmosphere of the natural world, while William Blake conveyed humanity’s connection to the divine in his visionary art. In Germany, the late-18th-century Sturm und Drang, or Storm and Drive, movement, with its probing of the unconscious, inspired a sense of mystery in work by romantic artists such as Caspar David Friedrich and Philipp Otto Runge. In France, where the French Revolution had turned tradition upside down, Théodore Géricault and Eugène Delacroix used lush brushwork to paint monumental canvases with tumultuous scenes of nature and history.
The romantic movement and its subject matter were a significant influence on the Pre-Raphaelites, Symbolists and the American painters of the Hudson River School, as well as on other cultural movements in the 19th and 20th centuries that saw artists build on this perspective in which art was guided by emotion rather than reason.
Find a collection of romantic paintings, sculptures, prints and multiples and more art on 1stDibs.
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of a Young Woman, Romantic Oil, Circa 1850
By Sir Thomas Lawrence
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Portrait of a Young Woman, ca. 1850. Oil on antique English millboard, panel measures 20 x 24 inches. Excellent condition with surface stress cracking and paint shrinkage consisten...
Oil, Fiberboard
19th Century German Night Street Scene Salzuflen Oil Painting
Located in Stockholm, SE
This small city scene by Anders Montan captures a quiet street in the spa town of Bad Salzuflen in the principality of Lippe, rendered with a sensitivity that reveals the artist’s ke...
Oil, Laid Paper
$5,234Sale Price|20% Off
Large Antique Portrait of a Woman, Framed Portrait of a Woman Standing
Located in AIGNAN, FR
A stunning large scale oil painting on canvas of a beautiful woman. Here, the artist has given us a traditional portrait of a young woman, she has brown eyes and dark hair. Exquisi...
Oil
$10,875Sale Price|25% Off
'Young Woman in Costume', Société des Artistes Français
By Georges Antoine Rochegrosse
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed upper left, 'G. Rochegrosse' for George Rochegrosse (French, 1859-1938) and dated 1881. Framed dimensions: 15.5 H x 1.5 D x 13.5 W inches A finely-painted figural oil showin...
Canvas, Oil
Gibraltar, Landscape Painting, 19th Century Marine Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Stockholm, Stockholm
This atmospheric marine painting, Twilight in Gibraltar, is a characteristic work by the Danish artist Lauritz (Laurits) Bernhard Holst (1848–1934), whose oeuvre is closely associate...
Canvas, Oil
Moonlight Coastal Landscape with Reflections, 1909 – Elias Muukka
Located in Stockholm, SE
Elias Muukka (1853–1938) Finland Månsken vid stranden (Moonlight by the Shore), 1909 signed and dated 09 oil on canvas unframed 31 × 40.5 cm (12.2 × 15.9 in) framed 44 × 54 cm (17....
Canvas, Oil
$1,114Sale Price|35% Off
Trees & Fields in the English Countryside by 20th Century Landscape Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Trees & Fields in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Landscape Artist, James Wright Signed, Original, Oil on Canvas, housed in a beautiful ornate gold frame. Prove...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Nach dem Regen Oil Painting, Landscape with Figures, Signed 1873
Located in Stockholm, SE
signed and dated Otto Sinding Karlsruhe 1873 lower right oil on relined canvas framed 59 × 101 cm (23.2 × 39.8 in) unframed 41 × 83.5 cm (16.1 × 32.9 in) Provenance: The collection ...
Canvas, Oil
$16,535
Sunset by Hilding Werner (1925) – Formerly Owner Sven-Göran “Svennis” Eriksson
Located in Stockholm, SE
Sunset (1925) depicts a serene lake in Värmland at the close of day, suffused with the golden light of dusk. In this composition, Werner captures one of his signature motifs: a broad...
Canvas, Oil
$2,120Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of a Woman in Front of the Sea, Romantic Oil Painting, Signed
By Gianni Strino
Located in Soquel, CA
Portrait of a Woman in Front of the Sea - Original Romantic Oil Painting Beautifully rendered and realistic portrait by Gianni (Giovanni) Strino (Italian b. 1953.) A woman stands in...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
Portrait of a Girl in Blue Dress, Romantic Pastel, Circa 1920, Signed
Located in Stockholm, Stockholm
An enchanting oval portrait capturing a young girl, curled up in an oversized Louis XIV armchair. She wears a deep blue dress, her dark hair neatly arranged and held in place by two ...
Pastel, Paper
Stormy Sea with Lighthouse, 1925
Located in Stockholm, SE
Attributed to Carl Mattson (1886–1941) Sweden Stormy Sea with Lighthouse, 1925 signed and dated lower left watercolor on canvas unframed 73 × 81 cm (28.74 × 31.89 inches) framed 83...
Canvas, Watercolor
Elegant Chinese Beauties, after Chen Yifei (1946–2005)
Located in San Francisco, CA
On offer is a recreation of a famed "Romantic Realism" composition by the renowned Chinese master Chen Yifei (1946–2005). The striking piece replicates one work in Chen Yifei's renow...
Canvas, Oil
$1,592Sale Price|20% Off
Painting of Farm with Geese in the English Countryside by 20th Century Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Painting of Farm with Geese in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, James Wright Signed, Original, Oil on Canvas, housed in a beautiful ornate gold frame. Provenance: Part of the English Heritage Series No.111 Art measures 10 x 8 inches (approx.) Frame measures 15 x 13 inches (approx.) James Wright was born in Peterborough in 1935 and now lives in Lincolnshire. James is a self-taught artist and a leading exponent of the traditional English landscape style. His early work concentrated on the busy fishing villages around the coast of Norfolk, Cornwall and Sussex. More recently, his traditional landscapes mainly feature the East Anglian and Lincolnshire countryside. About the English Heritage Collection From the most powerful to the most humble, from Bronze Age axes...
Oil, Canvas
Boy Sailing Toy Boat in Creek, oil on canvas in gilt frame signed and dated 1897
Located in Hillsborough, NC
A boy wades into the creek preparing to set his sailboat on a journey down the creek in this romantic narrative late Victorian oil painting. This painting tells a story, set in an id...
Canvas, Oil
Romantic European painter - 19th century figure painting - Portrait of lady
Located in Varmo, IT
Romantic painter (second half of the 19th century) - Portrait of a Lady. 45.5 x 31 cm (unframed) — 74 x 60 cm (framed). Oil on canvas, in a carved wooden frame (not signed). Full-...
Canvas, Oil
$8,469Sale Price|20% Off
View from Månberget, Källvik (1912)
Located in Stockholm, SE
The view from Månberget at sunset, as captured by Gottfrid Kallstenius in this 1912 oil painting, displays a warm golden light over Djupsundet, framed by the silhouette of a gnarled ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,372Sale Price|20% Off
Trees & Cottage in the English Countryside by 20th Century Landscape Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Trees & Cottage in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Landscape Artist, James Wright Signed, Original, Oil on Canvas, housed in a beautiful ornate gold frame. Provenanc...
Canvas, Oil
$3,449
The Glow of the Past: Lundström’s Stockholm with a Touch of Mystery
Located in Stockholm, SE
We are pleased to present this painting by Ernst Lundström, dedicated to the esteemed sculptor Per Hasselberg. The dedication on the front of the painting makes this piece particular...
Canvas, Oil
$1,617Sale Price|20% Off
Untitled - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Subtle Female Portrait, Vibrant
Located in Warsaw, PL
KATARZYNA SZYDLOWSKA (born in 1969) Katarzyna Szydlowska studied at the European Academy of Arts under prof. Jerzy Duda Gracz, Antoni Fa?at and Franciszek S...
Canvas, Oil
Alfred Émile Léopold Stevens Period Watercolour Picture Portrait
By Alfred Émile Léopold Stevens
Located in Roma, IT
Beautiful painting in gouache technique depicting a distinguished young lady. The noblewoman presents a pose of rare elegance, with one hand resting on a planter and the other holdin...
Paper, Tempera
$8,720Sale Price|20% Off
Golden Light on Shepherd and Flock, Romantic 19th century
Located in Hillsborough, NC
Dramatic and beautiful, light shines on the bucolic flock of sheep as the village, skies and hills remain in darkness, John Linnell (1792-1882) gives us a metaphor of coming through ...
Canvas, Oil
Romantic French painting Italy Como lake monks Mid 19th
Located in PARIS, FR
Jules SANSON Active in the 1830s and 1840s The arrival of the young girl at the monastery on the shores of Lake Como Oil on canvas 27 x 35.5 cm (31.5 x 39.5 cm with the frame) Signed...
Oil
$1,495
Unique Pair Of Vintage Herbarium Displays. A Botanical Flower Press With Frame
Located in Frederiksberg C, DK
A unique pair of vintage herbarium / botanical displays collected and created by S. Lindwald in June 1946 in Sweden. These botanical specimen are preserved behind glass in a new doub...
Archival Paper
$1,427
Allegory of Love, Cupid With Beauty in Fine Dress Carrying a Basket of Flowers
Located in Cotignac, FR
A late 18th Century oil on canvas laid on board of a young beauty in period costume carrying a basket of flowers on her head. Presented in a very fine gilt, period 'Directoire' frame...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Between Lessons – A Schoolboy Lost in Thought
Located in Stockholm, SE
Unidentified Artist Schoolboy, Early 1900s century signed lower left oil on canvas unframed 24 × 29 cm (9.4 × 11.4 in) framed 41 × 47 cm (16.1 × 18.5 in) This intimate genre pain...
Canvas, Oil
Mid-19th-Century Munich School, Nocturnal Alpine Scene With Woman Resting
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This calm and reflective mid-19th-century German oil painting depicts a woman reclining, her hand on a zither, before moonlit Alpine scenery. Gazing outwards across the rooftops and...
Oil, Canvas
French Harbor Scene, Le Havre – Alfred Bergström
Located in Stockholm, SE
This refined harbour scene from Le Havre presents a quiet yet vivid impression of a working port along the northern coast of France. Alfred Bergström constructs the composition from ...
Oil, Board
$1,427Sale Price|52% Off
Italian Romantic painter - 19th century Interior with figures in costume
Located in Varmo, IT
Italian painter (19th century) - Interior with figures in seventeenth-century costume. 29.5 x 43 cm (without frame) - 50 x 65 cm (with frame). Oil on panel, in a period frame in...
Oil, Panel
Antique Swedish Oil Painting 1883 Alfred Thörne Lake Landscape
Located in Stockholm, SE
Alfred Thörne was born in 1850 in Horn, Östergötland, and belongs to a generation of Swedish painters whose formation was grounded in the academic tradition but increasingly shaped b...
Oil, Board
$1,495
Unique Pair Of Vintage Herbarium Displays. A Botanical Flower Press With Frame
Located in Frederiksberg C, DK
A unique pair of vintage herbarium / botanical displays collected and created by S. Lindwald in June 1946 in Sweden. These botanical specimen are preserved behind glass in a new doub...
Archival Paper
$11,933
Pan God of Nature Playing Panpipes 1930s Mythological Nude Oil Painting
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Margaret Maitland Howard. English ( b.1898 - d.1983 ). Pan, God Of Nature, Playing Panpipes. Oil On Canvas. Signed Lower Left. Image size 22.6 inches x 18.1 inches ( 57.5cm x 46cm ). Frame size 26.8 inches x 22.2 inches ( 68cm x 56.5cm ). Available for sale; this original oil painting is by the English artist Margaret Maitland Howard and dates from the 1930s. The painting is presented and supplied in a sympathetic contemporary frame (which is shown in these photographs), mounted with new fixtures. The canvas has been lined and mounted on a newly constructed custom made stretcher. The painted surface has benefitted from cleaning and conservation, all of which was performed on our instruction, supervision and approval. This vintage painting is now in very good condition. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display. The painting is signed lower left. Margaret Maitland Howard was an accomplished and versatile English artist whose works spanned the early to mid-20th century. Known for her evocative and often mythologically inspired oil paintings, Howard’s work reflects a deep engagement with classical themes and her knowledge of nature, and the human form. She was also proficient working in watercolours and pastels and an accomplished sculptor. Margaret, who was always known as “Marjorie” was born in Friern, Barnet, London on 31 July 1898, the daughter of artist and civil servant Henry James Howard. She grew up at Sutton, Surrey, where she spent most of her life. She spent many years living and working from St. Katherine’s, Malgrave Road, Sutton, Surrey. She was educated privately, at the Byam Shaw and then attended the Vicat Cole School of Art, completing her studies at the Royal Academy Schools, where she won five silver medals and other awards. She was also the recipient of a British Institute scholarship and extension and won the 1926 prize for her portrait work at the National Welsh Eisteddfod in Swansea. She exhibited paintings at the Royal Academy, showing at least ten works of classical and biblical themes at Summer Exhibitions between 1923 and 1935. She was one of the early group of women who painted nudes, a practice which was considered somewhat risqué and vulgar in the early twentieth century. She also exhibited at other leading galleries and in the provinces and consistently pursued her art despite the challenges posed by the societal norms of the time. Howard had a significant professional career for a woman of her generation. Just after World War II she was appointed draughtsman to the Institute of Archaeology at London University where she worked from 1948 to 1960. This is now part of University College, London. Here, she worked as an illustrator and sculptor, creating models for Professor Frederick Zeuner to use in his lectures. She also illustrated one of his important books (Zeuner, F.E. Dating the Past, London: Methuen). She also created the bust of Gordon Childe, now in the Institute’s Library. After her retirement from the Institute of Archaeology she collaborated with Ian Wolfran Cornwall on his series of books about the prehistoric world. In 1956, whilst working for the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, she moved to Balawat and supervised the archaeological work at the site of an ancient Assyrian city in northern Mesopotamia. She subsequently prepared drawings of the Balawat Gates, which was significant and technical work. In addition to illustrating various books on ancient history and anthropology, Howard was also known as an illustrator of fictional books, producing an illustrated edition of the Fables of Aesop that was published by John Lane at The Bodley Head in 1926. She also illustrated Elizabeth Ward...
Canvas, Oil
Evening Landscape with River and Farmhouses, 1898
Located in Stockholm, SE
Evening Landscape with River and Farmhouses by August Alvén captures a moment of profound quiet in the Swedish countryside just after sunset. The glowing sky transitions from warm ap...
Canvas, Oil
Early 19th-Century Austrian School, Portrait Of A Gentleman
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This fine early 19th-century Austrian oil painting depicts a dapper gentleman in half-length format against a softly animated sky. Shown turned slightly toward the viewer, his postu...
Canvas, Oil
$2,500
#5176
By Hiro Yokose
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas over wood panel signature on verso Hiro Yokose paints images of nature composed in subtle, sensuous palettes. Playing with the viewer’s perceptions, his work c...
Canvas, Wax, Oil, Wood Panel
$10,706
Sheltering from the storm / - Romantic landscape illuminated by lightning bolt -
Located in Berlin, DE
George Morland (1763 London - 1804 Brighton). Sheltering from the Storm. Oil on canvas, relined, 37.5 x 29.5 cm (visible size), 53.5 x 45.5 cm (...
Oil
Romantic European painter - 19th century figure painting - The soldier
Located in Varmo, IT
Romantic Painter (second half of the 19th century) - The Soldier. 50.5 x 38 cm (unframed) — 79 x 66 cm (framed). Oil on canvas, in a carved wooden frame (not signed). Proven...
Canvas, Oil
Unique Set Of Vintage French Herbarium Displays, Pressed Flowers
Located in Frederiksberg C, DK
A unique set of vintage French herbarium / botanical displays. These botanical specimen are preserved behind glass in a new double sided glass frame. ...
Archival Paper, Glass, Oak
Evening Calm, Fishing Boats at Anchor, c. 1835
Located in Stockholm, SE
Evening Calm, Fishing Boats at Anchor is a painting Per Wickenberg, capturing a serene twilight along a sheltered coast. Fishing boats rest quietly at anchor, their sails lowered and...
Canvas, Oil
$4,758
George Shalders Oil Painting 1858 A Mill in Cambridgeshire Pastoral Landscape
By George Shalders
Located in Stockholm, SE
George Shalders (1826–1873) England A Mill in Cambridgeshire, 1858 signed and dated lower left “G. Shalders 58” oil on canvas unframed 30.5 × 51 cm (...
Canvas, Oil
'Curious Kittens' by Charles Van Den Eycken (1859 – 1923) Romantic painter
Located in Knokke, BE
Charles Van Den Eycken 1859 – Brussels – 1923 Belgian Painter 'Curious Kittens' Signature: signed lower left and dated 'Ch. Van den Eycken 1900.' Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions:...
Canvas, Oil
$10,368Sale Price|40% Off
Early 1800s Scottish seascape after JMW Turner by two Nasmyth sisters
Located in Hillsborough, NC
Atmospheric and dramatic seascape painted by two sisters from the famed Nasmyth family of 18th/19th century Scottish artists. The names of A G Nasmyth (Anne Gibson) and Jane Nasmyth ...
Oil, Canvas
Andalusian River Landscape Seville Guadalquivir Scene Figures Spanish Oil 1940
By Carlota Rosales Martínez de Pedrosa
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Andalusian River Landscape, Seville Guadalquivir Scene with Figures, Spanish Oil Painting c.1940 Creator: Carlota Rosales Martínez de Pedrosa (1872–19...
Canvas, Oil
Seascape at Sunset, Romantic Oil on Canvas, 19th Century, Signed
Located in Genève, GE
Signed "G. Goldberg" This atmospheric seascape captures a tranquil coastal scene at sunset, where the fading light reflects delicately across the surface of the water. The compositi...
Canvas, Oil
$1,043Sale Price|20% Off
Winter Landscape Snow Scene in the English Countryside by 20th Century Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Rural Winter Landscape Scene with Snow & Winter Trees in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, James Wright Signed, Original, Oil on Canvas, housed in a beautiful ornate gold frame. Provenance: Part of the English Heritage...
Canvas, Oil
$1,600Sale Price|20% Off
Romantic Mountain Landscape with Waterfall - Turn of the Century Oil Painting
Located in Soquel, CA
Romantic Mountain Landscape with Waterfall - Turn of the Century Oil Painting Vibrant painting of an alpine landscape, likely inspired by the American West by Charles Christian Eise...
Canvas, Oil
$2,500
#5177
By Hiro Yokose
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas over wood panel signature on verso Hiro Yokose paints images of nature composed in subtle, sensuous palettes. Playing with the viewer’s perceptions, his work c...
Canvas, Wax, Oil, Wood Panel
Animal Studies, 1814 Charles Towne (British, 1763-1840)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Animal Studies, 1814" Charles Towne (British, 1763-1840) Oil on panel Signed and dated Chas. Towne/ Pinxit 1814 (lower right) 15 x 11 3/8 (21 x 17 ¼ frame) inches Provenance: Collec...
Oil, Wood Panel
$556Sale Price|20% Off
Playing in the Garden with a Cat - Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
Restrained landscape with a child playing with a cat by an unknown artist. Although nearly monochromatic, there is exquisite details in the foliage in the foreground. to the left. In...
Paper, Gouache
$2,640Sale Price|20% Off
Figurative, Horse Painting, Landscape, French Art, Western n°16 by Swan Scalabre
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Swan Scalabre "Western n°16" Oil on Wood 10 x 8 in. 13 x 11 in. Framed Born in the Alpes de Haute Provence region of France in 1977, Swan Scalabre investigates the silent gaze ...
Wood, Oil
$1,400
Sunset behind the Trees, Romantic 19th Century Oil on Canvas, Framed
Located in Stockholm, Stockholm
Carl Frederik Aagaard, Sunset over Dyrehaven. Signed C.F. Aagaard. Oil on canvas laid on card box panel. 22×32 cm without frame. A tergo written:...
Canvas, Oil
$3,239Sale Price|20% Off
Horse Drawn Plough with Two Horses Ploughman and Dog by British Landscape Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Horse Drawn Plough with Two Horses, Ploughman and his Dog. Signed, Oil on Canvas, housed in a gilt frame, by British Landscape Artist, James Wright. Art measures 24 x 16 inches Fram...
Canvas, Oil
$2,260
PORTRAIT OF REBECCA AT THE FOUNTAIN - In the Manner of Guffens - Oil on paint
By I. Di Matteo
Located in Napoli, IT
Portrait of rebecca at the fountain - I. Di Matteo Italia 1998 - Oil on canvas cm. 80x60 This magnificent painting by I. De Matteo is the rein...
Canvas, Oil
$1,715
Horse & Figure in the English Countryside by 20th Century Landscape Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Horse & Figure in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Landscape Artist, James Wright Signed, Original, Oil on Canvas, housed in a beautiful ornate gold frame. Proven...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Winter Tree with Crows at Dusk
By Georg Emil Libert
Located in Stockholm, SE
This Romantic winter landscape presents a scene of profound stillness and introspection. Gnarled, leafless trees dominate the foreground, their twisted silhouettes starkly etched aga...
Canvas, Oil
$2,500
#3671
By Hiro Yokose
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas over panel Neoromantic painter Hiro Yokose fuses multiple layers of wax and oil paint to create mysterious, veiled landscapes illuminated with flashes of ligh...
Canvas, Wax, Oil, Panel, Wood Panel
$1,317Sale Price|20% Off
Early 1800's Italian Oil Painting Romantic Light Landscape Figure by River
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Riverside Pathway Italian School, early 1800's period oil painting on paper laid on board, unframed size: 12.75 x 17.5 inches condition: overall very good for age, a few very sma...
Oil
Alfred Friedländer (1860–1933), Genre Scene with elegant company&Fortune Teller
Located in DEVENTER, NL
Finely executed oil painting on panel by the Austrian artist Alfred (Ritter von Malheim) Friedländer (Vienna, 1860 – 1933). The work depicts an elegant company that has paused alon...
Oil, Wood Panel
$1,372Sale Price|20% Off
Painting of Lake & Mountains in England by 20th Century British Landscape Artist
By James Wright
Located in Preston, GB
Painting of Lake & Mountains in England by 20th Century British Landscape Artist, James Wright Signed, Original, Oil on Canvas, housed in a beautiful ornate gold frame. Provenance: Part of the English Heritage...
Canvas, Oil
'Bather at Dusk', Salon des Artistes Français, École des Beaux-Arts, Paris
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed, verso, on attached fragment, 'L. Verite' for Lucien Henri Alphonse Verite (French, 1866-1926) and painted circa 1890. Verite studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris bef...
Canvas, Oil