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Old Masters Art

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.

Find a collection of Old Masters prints, paintings, drawings and watercolors and other art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Old Masters
Rebecca at the Well

Rebecca at the Well

Located in New York, NY

Provenance: Dr. James Henry Lancashire, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, by 1925; probably by descent to: Private Collection, Cumberland Foreside, Maine, until 2018 This unpublished panel is a characteristic work of the Master of the Apollo and Daphne Legend, an anonymous Florentine painter in the circle of Bartolommeo di Giovanni, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Sandro Botticelli. The artistic personality of the Master of the Apollo and Daphne Legend was independently recognized by Everett Fahy and Federico Zeri at roughly the same moment in time. Fahy originally dubbed this artist the Master of the Ryerson Panels but later adopted Zeri’s name for the artist, which derives from his eponymous works from the Samuel H. Kress collection (Figs. 1-2). Fahy posited that the artist was most likely a pupil of Ghirlandaio active from roughly 1480 to 1510, and that he may be identifiable with one of Ghirlandaio’s documented pupils to whom no works have been securely attributed, such as Niccolò Cieco, Jacopo dell’Indaco, or Baldino Baldinetti. The present painting was first attributed to this master by Everett Fahy in 1989, who became aware of its existence only after publishing his definitive studies on the artist. The surviving body of work by the Master of the Apollo and Daphne Legend is largely composed of series of panels treating the same theme. In addition to the works illustrating the legend of Apollo and Daphne, there are also series on the themes of Susanna and the Elders and the story of Saint Joseph, among others. The subject of the present panel is drawn from Genesis 24, the story of Isaac. It is possible that our painting relates to another work by the artist depicting the Sacrifice of Isaac formerly in the collection of E. A. McGuire in Dublin, Ireland (Fig. 3), and that these two panels were originally part of a decorative scheme based on the story of Isaac. Although the Master’s paintings of this type have traditionally been considered painted fronts of wedding chests, known as cassoni, the scale of these paintings and the fact that they are often part of a series indicates that they are more likely spalliera panels—paintings set into furniture or the wainscoting of a room. The biblical episode depicted in this painting centers on the theme of marriage, which suggests that this work was likely commissioned for the domestic interior of a newly married couple. The Master has transcribed into paint even the minute details of this Old Testament story, in which Abraham sends a servant to travel by camel to the land of his father and seek out a wife for his son Isaac. The servant is here shown at the well...

Category

15th Century and Earlier Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Tempera, Wood Panel

Le Harle Femell (The Female Merganser) /// Ornithology Martinet Bird Animal Art
Le Harle Femell (The Female Merganser) /// Ornithology Martinet Bird Animal Art

Le Harle Femell (The Female Merganser) /// Ornithology Martinet Bird Animal Art

By François Nicolas Martinet

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: François-Nicolas Martinet (French, 1731-1800) Title: "Le Harle Femell (The Female Merganser)" (Plate 953) Portfolio: Histoire Naturelle Des Oiseaux *Signed by Martinet in the...

Category

1770s Old Masters Art

Materials

Intaglio, Engraving, Laid Paper, Watercolor

17th Century by Il Padovanino Mary Magdalene or Young Woman Oil on Canvas
17th Century by Il Padovanino Mary Magdalene or Young Woman Oil on Canvas

17th Century by Il Padovanino Mary Magdalene or Young Woman Oil on Canvas

Located in Milano, Lombardia

Alessandro Leone Varotari, known as Il Padovanino (Padua, Italy, 1588 – Venice, Italy, 1649) Title: Mary Magdalene or Young Woman Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: Without frame 50.5...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Early 18th-Century Russian Icon, Volga Masters (Circle), The Crucifixion
Early 18th-Century Russian Icon, Volga Masters (Circle), The Crucifixion

Early 18th-Century Russian Icon, Volga Masters (Circle), The Crucifixion

Located in Cheltenham, GB

US buyers pay no import tariffs on this item. This exquisite and exceedingly rare early 18th-century Russian Staurotek icon depicts The Crucifixion of Christ with an assemblage of s...

Category

1720s Old Masters Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Portrait Dante Alighieri Cristofano Papi Dell'altissimo Paint 16/17th Century
Portrait Dante Alighieri Cristofano Papi Dell'altissimo Paint 16/17th Century

Portrait Dante Alighieri Cristofano Papi Dell'altissimo Paint 16/17th Century

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Florentine school of the sixteenth century Cristofano di Papi dell'Altissimo (Florence 1525 – 1605) workshop Portrait of Dante Alighieri (Florence 1265 - Ravenna 1321) Oil o...

Category

16th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

The Quacksalver
The Quacksalver

The Quacksalver

By Adriaen van Ostade

Located in Middletown, NY

Etching on cream laid paper. 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch margins. In good condition with a band of minor discoloration along top and bottom sheet edge verso. One circular 1.5 inch- sized ar...

Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Etching

Letter N - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century

Letter N - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century

Located in Roma, IT

Letter N is an Etching hand watercolored realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in 18th century. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Titian's Studio
Titian's Studio

Titian's Studio

Located in Milford, NH

A wonderfully detailed interior genre oil painting by Flemish artist Louis Tielemans (1826-1856). Tielemans was born in Anvers, and became known for his active genre scenes, emulatin...

Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

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 Art

Materials

Oil

Escuela española (XIX) - El niño de Vallecas (Según Diego Velázquez)
Escuela española (XIX) - El niño de Vallecas (Según Diego Velázquez)

Escuela española (XIX) - El niño de Vallecas (Según Diego Velázquez)

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

La obra no va firmada, es de autor anónimo El estado de conservación se puede ver, es aceotable, solo con algunas craquelaciones por el paso de los años Se presenta enmarcada la ob...

Category

Late 17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of William Stonestreet - Dutch Golden Age 17thC art oil painting
Portrait of William Stonestreet - Dutch Golden Age 17thC art oil painting

Portrait of William Stonestreet - Dutch Golden Age 17thC art oil painting

Located in Hagley, England

This superb Dutch Golden Age portrait is attributed to circle of Dutch artist Wybrand Simonsz de Geest. Painted in 1666 it is a full length portrait of a young William Stonestreet. He is holding the paw of a clipped little white dog with drapes and clouds beyond. (It was common practise to dress young boys in dresses up to the age of about 6 or 7 when they were 'britched' or wore britches). An excellent example of Dutch Golden Age art that wouldn't look out of place in a museum. Wm Stonestreet 1666, Prebend of Selsely is inscribed top left. Provenance. Berkshire estate. Condition. Oil and canvas, 44 inches by 36 inches and in good condition. Frame. Housed in an ornate gilt frame, 52 inches by 44 inches and in good condition. Wybrand Simonsz. de Geest (16 August 1592 – c. 1661) was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter from Friesland in the Netherlands. Wybrand de Geest was born and died at Leeuwarden. He learned painting from his father, Simon Juckesz, a stained glass worker. He studied later with Abraham Bloemaert. From 1614 to 1618 he travelled in France and Italy on a Grand Tour. In 1616 he met up with Leonard Bramer in Aix-en-Provence. While in Rome he became a member of the painters' circle known as the Bentvueghels. He earned the nickname 'De Friesche Adelaar', or "the Frisian Eagle". De Geest married Hendrickje Fransdr Uylenburgh in 1622, a niece of Saskia van Uylenburgh...

Category

1660s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Joseph Highmore Portrait of a lady, 18th century
Joseph Highmore Portrait of a lady, 18th century

Joseph Highmore Portrait of a lady, 18th century

By Joseph Highmore

Located in York, GB

Portrait of a lady, traditionally identified as Grace Loftus,of Beverley hall yorkshire.Three-quarter-length, before a window. Dressed in blue and wearing a white bonnet. The paintin...

Category

1740s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Ecce Homo Coxie Paint 16/17th Century Paint Oil on table Old master Flemish Art
Ecce Homo Coxie Paint 16/17th Century Paint Oil on table Old master Flemish Art

Ecce Homo Coxie Paint 16/17th Century Paint Oil on table Old master Flemish Art

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Circle of Michael Coxie (Malines, 1499 - Malines, 1592) Ecce Homo with Pontius Pilate Oil on panel Flemish school 16th-17th century 112 x 81 cm - framed 121 x 90 cm. The proposed p...

Category

16th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

A presumed portrait of Charlotte de Montmorency (1594-1636)

A presumed portrait of Charlotte de Montmorency (1594-1636)

Located in Paris, Île-de-France

Inscription ‘Henriette de/ Balzac maitresse/ d’henry 4’ (upper left) Otherwise unsigned The physiognomy of the sitter is close to another anonymous portrait by Dumonstier, more det...

Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Chalk, Washi Paper

Lovers in Landscape - British 18th century Old Master pastoral art oil painting
Lovers in Landscape - British 18th century Old Master pastoral art oil painting

Lovers in Landscape - British 18th century Old Master pastoral art oil painting

By Richard Wilson

Located in Hagley, England

This superb British 18th century Old Master oil painting is attributed to circle of noted landscape artist Richard Wilson. Painted circa 1750 it is a stunning lake landscape with a r...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

18th Century by Pietro Bardellino Mary Magdalene Painting Oil on Canvas
18th Century by Pietro Bardellino Mary Magdalene Painting Oil on Canvas

18th Century by Pietro Bardellino Mary Magdalene Painting Oil on Canvas

By Pietro Bardellino

Located in Milano, Lombardia

Pietro Bardellino (Naples, Italy, 1731 – 1806) Title: Mary Magdalene Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 75 x 60 cm – with frame 97 x 82 cm Antique shaped and carved wood...

Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Escuela flamenca (XVIII) - Dulzura bucólica (a la manera de Peter Paul Rubens)
Escuela flamenca (XVIII) - Dulzura bucólica (a la manera de Peter Paul Rubens)

Escuela flamenca (XVIII) - Dulzura bucólica (a la manera de Peter Paul Rubens)

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

La obra no va firmada Se presenta enmarcada la obra con un marco bastante actual (de hecho la obra va pegada en el plafon del marco) Medidas obra: 14 x 20 cm. Medidas marco: 28 x ...

Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Escuela griega (XIX) - San Sísoes Magno - Óleo sobre plancha
Escuela griega (XIX) - San Sísoes Magno - Óleo sobre plancha

Escuela griega (XIX) - San Sísoes Magno - Óleo sobre plancha

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

La obra no va firmada Se presenta enmarcada la pintura con un marco bastante actual Medidas obra: 29 cm altura x 19 cm ancho. Medidas marco: 48 cm altura x 38 cm ancho. Estado ta...

Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Black Council
Black Council

Tosin Oyeniyi Black Council, 2023

$2,800Sale Price|20% Off

Black Council

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

The Council says; Forget about where you come from As long as you’re a black man You’re an African if you come from Clarendon, Portland, Westmoreland… Don’t mind your nationality Yo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Ink, Linocut

Animated harbor scene
Animated harbor scene

Animated harbor scene

Located in Genève, GE

Work on canvas Black wooden frame 71 x 91 x 3 cm

Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Still Life with Fishes and Oysters - Oil on Canvas - 17th Century
Still Life with Fishes and Oysters - Oil on Canvas - 17th Century

Still Life with Fishes and Oysters - Oil on Canvas - 17th Century

Located in Roma, IT

Still life with fishes and oysters is an original oil on canvas realized in the 17th Century by Neapolitan School Master. Impressive in size as well as for its vivid representation o...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Pair Battle Scenes Courtois Paints 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy
Pair Battle Scenes Courtois Paints 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy

Pair Battle Scenes Courtois Paints 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Jacques Courtois the Burgundian (Saint Hippolyte 1621 – Rome 1676) attributed to Pair of battle scenes between Imperial cavalry and the Turks Oil on canvas (51 x 71 cm – Antiqu...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

The Spectacle Seller

The Spectacle Seller

By Adriaen Jansz van Ostade

Located in Middletown, NY

Etching and drypoint on cream laid paper, 4 x 3 3/8 inches (102 x 86 mm), 1/4 inch margins. Signed in the plate, lower left corner. The 3rd state (of 6), after the rounding of the pl...

Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Drypoint, Etching

18th Century by Antonio Mercurio Amorosi Portrait Little Girl with Cat
18th Century by Antonio Mercurio Amorosi Portrait Little Girl with Cat

18th Century by Antonio Mercurio Amorosi Portrait Little Girl with Cat

By Antonio Mercurio Amorosi

Located in Milano, Lombardia

Artist: Antonio Mercurio Amorosi (Comunanza, Italy, 1660 - 1738) Title: Portrait of a little girl with cat Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 42 x 31.5 cm – with frame 5...

Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Mrs Anne Neale Tucker Lauzun - British Old Master art oil painting
Portrait of Mrs Anne Neale Tucker Lauzun - British Old Master art oil painting

Portrait of Mrs Anne Neale Tucker Lauzun - British Old Master art oil painting

By Sir Henry Raeburn

Located in Hagley, England

This lovely British Old Master portrait oil painting is painted in the manner of Sir Henry Raeburn. Painted circa 1800, the sitter is Anne Neale Tucker Lauzun. She was born in St Geo...

Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Study of a Priestess holding a Caduceus

Study of a Priestess holding a Caduceus

Located in Middletown, NY

Brown ink and wash on laid paper with a grapes and vine watermark, 6 5/8 x 6 1/2 inches (168 x 164 mm). Laid down to Fellows watermarked wove paper, with uniform age tone, areas of light discoloration, and attenuation of pigment. Unevenly trimmed margins, and paper tape remnant from having been tipped-into a scrap book...

Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Laid Paper

FLOWERS -In the Manner of Mario Dei Fiori -Oil On Canvas Italian Painting
FLOWERS -In the Manner of Mario Dei Fiori -Oil On Canvas Italian Painting

FLOWERS -In the Manner of Mario Dei Fiori -Oil On Canvas Italian Painting

By Maximilian Ciccone

Located in Napoli, IT

Flowers - Oil on canvas cm.80x60 by Maximilian Ciccone, Italy 2002. Frame available on request from our workshop. In this oil on canvas painting the painter Ciccone draws inspiration from the masterpieces of the great Roman master Mario Nuzzi...

Category

Early 2000s Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Los Ensacados - Etching - 1875

Los Ensacados - Etching - 1875

By Francisco Goya

Located in Roma, IT

Los Ensacados - from Los Proverbios is an original black and white etching realized by Francisco Goya (1746-1828). The artwork is the plate n. 8 from ...

Category

1870s Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Portrait of a Young Man, Old Masters Etching after Raphael Sanzio da Urbino
Portrait of a Young Man, Old Masters Etching after Raphael Sanzio da Urbino

Portrait of a Young Man, Old Masters Etching after Raphael Sanzio da Urbino

By Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)

Located in Long Island City, NY

Raphael Sanzio da Urbino, After by Alphonse Leroy, Italian (1483 - 1520) - Portrait of a Young Man, Year: circa 1858, Medium: Etching, Image Size: 10.75 x 8.5 inches, Size: 22 x ...

Category

1850s Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

The Death of Lazarus
The Death of Lazarus

The Death of Lazarus

By Hieronymus Wierix

Located in Fairlawn, OH

The Death of Lazarus Engraving, 1593 Feria VI. Post Domin IIII From: Evangelicae Historiae Imagines, Plate 76 Condition: Excellent Sheet size: 9 7/8 x 6 1/8 inches Reference: Referen...

Category

16th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Engraving

Turn of the 20th Century French tryptic depicting the Annunciation with 2 saints
Turn of the 20th Century French tryptic depicting the Annunciation with 2 saints

Turn of the 20th Century French tryptic depicting the Annunciation with 2 saints

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

A. Lion (French, c. 1900) A tryptic depicting the Annunciation flanked by two Saints Signed “A. LION” (to the left of Mary) Oil on board Framed dimensions 23. ½ x 37. ½ in. (60 x 95...

Category

19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Board

A Boy and His Pug Dog
A Boy and His Pug Dog

A Boy and His Pug Dog

Located in Wiscasett, ME

Fantastic early portrait of a young man and his pug dog. This painting is most likely British, but it could also be from continental Europe. It dates from the late 18th to the early ...

Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

In a Gothic Church

In a Gothic Church

Located in Roma, IT

In a Gothic Church is a beautiful original drawing (China ink and watercolor on paper). Hand-signed "Stothard" in brown ink on the lower left margin outside of the image. Very sweet drawing representing a woman praying...

Category

19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Charcoal, Ink, Watercolor

Old Masters art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Old Masters art 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 art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of orange, yellow, blue and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Charles Amand Durand, Giuseppe Vasi, Thomas Holloway, and Vincenzo Campana. Frequently made by artists working with Etching, and 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 art, so small editions measuring 0.4 inches across are also available. Prices for art 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 $11 and tops out at $1,495,000, while the average work sells for $546.