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.
Photo of the Great Comedian - Original Photo by Ermete Novelli - 1887
Located in Roma, IT
Photo of the Great Comedian is an original work by Ermete Novelli. A wonderful photo on ivory-colored cardboard with autographed dedication. Signed in pen on the lower right. In ad...
Photographic Paper
Classical Marble Bust in Profile
By Robert Funk
Located in Miami, FL
This is a photograph. The Mutted cool and warm greys with desaturated color hair accents update a familiar subject. Signed, dated, numbered lower right, recto 3/15, unframed, ot...
Photographic Paper, Inkjet
"The Unconscious Mind I" Hand Woven Archival Photographs
By Jason Chen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece is an original artwork by Jason Chen titled "The Unconscious Mind I". It is made of archival pigment prints from the artist's photography that he then cuts into strips and...
Photographic Paper
$2,400
H 12 in W 12 in
Inga Lindgren And Poodles, New York, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1950s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Swedish model Inga Lindgren, wife of Argentinian finance minister Ceferino Alonso Irigoyen,...
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
$638
H 16 in W 20 in D 0.1 in
Car, Downtown Car Park, Dallas, Texas - Classic American Automobile Photography
By Samuel Hicks
Located in Brighton, GB
Car, Downtown Car Park, Dallas, Texas is a stunning C-Type Print by contemporary photographer Samuel Hicks. It is available in in this size in an Edition of ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Digital, Color
$4,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.5 in W 44.1 in
Black and White Photography by Cuban Photographer René Peña, Self Portrait
By Rene Peña
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Limited Edition Series. Black and White Photography by Cuban Photographer René Peña, Self Portrait René Peña (Rene de Jesus Pena Gonzalez) is a self-taught photographer born in Hava...
Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Divination by Cards
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Each Cabinet Card is unique, and the image above details the front and back of the card. A handmade display stand made by the artist is also available for $100 – please inquire if in...
Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper
$675
H 23.63 in W 37.41 in D 0.04 in
Wendy Resting, Las Vegas - Contemporary American color photography
Located in Cambridge, GB
Part of Richard Heeps 'Man's Ruin' Series, this sequence of artworks 'Wendy Flamin' Eyeball', 'Wendy Resting' & 'Oldsmobile and Sinful Barbie's' were shot in Las Vegas. This artwork...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Divination by Wind
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Each Cabinet Card is unique, and the image above details the front and back of the card. A handmade display stand made by the artist is also available for $100 – please inquire if in...
Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper
$2,400
H 17.75 in W 16 in
"Or Chid - Smear" - Southern Portrait Photography - Drag Queen
By Jerry Siegel
Located in Atlanta, GA
Portrait photographer, Jerry Siegel's most recent body of work titled "REVEAL" is about transformation. "We live in a world of costumes - presenting ourselves how we want others to p...
Photographic Paper, Inkjet
$2,400
H 17.75 in W 16 in
"Queen Farrazz - Positivity" - Southern Portrait Photography - Drag Queen
By Jerry Siegel
Located in Atlanta, GA
Portrait photographer, Jerry Siegel's most recent body of work titled "REVEAL" is about transformation. "We live in a world of costumes - presenting ourselves how we want others to p...
Photographic Paper, Inkjet
$2,331
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.1 in
Untitled (Brown Horse) Animals, 2006 - Black and White Equine Photography
Located in Brighton, GB
Untitled (Brown Horse) from the series Animals is a black and white Silver Gelatin print by Giacomo Brunelli, in this size of 10" x 8" in a limited edition of 10. This is a limited ...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin, Black and White
$2,500
H 29.53 in W 19.68 in D 0.1 in
Occult Games #2. Portrait. Limited edition fashion color photograph.
$2,400
H 17.75 in W 16 in
"Nicole Paige Brooks" - Southern Portrait Photography - Drag Queen
By Jerry Siegel
Located in Atlanta, GA
Portrait photographer, Jerry Siegel's most recent body of work titled "REVEAL" is about transformation. "We live in a world of costumes - presenting ourselves how we want others to p...
Photographic Paper, Inkjet