Old Masters Art
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.
16th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Mid-19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
1870s Old Masters Art
Etching, Aquatint
1920s Old Masters Art
Paper, Pencil
16th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
1820s Old Masters Art
Etching
18th Century Old Masters Art
Pastel, Gouache
18th Century and Earlier Old Masters Art
Oil, Panel
1710s Old Masters Art
Laid Paper, Engraving, Etching, Intaglio
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
1730s Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil, Canvas, Wood
19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
1860s Old Masters Art
Etching, Aquatint
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil, Wood Panel
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
16th Century Old Masters Art
Engraving
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
16th Century Old Masters Art
Wood, Wood Panel
1720s Old Masters Art
Chalk
17th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
19th Century Old Masters Art
Engraving
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Early 18th Century Old Masters Art
Engraving
17th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Wood, Oil, Wood Panel
Early 18th Century Old Masters Art
Cotton Canvas, Canvas, Oil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
1760s Old Masters Art
Carbon Pencil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
16th Century Old Masters Art
Oil, Wood Panel
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
1650s Old Masters Art
Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
1740s Old Masters Art
Etching
1740s Old Masters Art
Oil
Early 18th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil, Cotton Canvas
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
1610s Old Masters Art
Etching
1820s Old Masters Art
Etching
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Art
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
Early 1900s Old Masters Art
Oil
1650s Old Masters Art
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
Early 18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Early 17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil, Canvas
1890s Old Masters Art
Etching
Early 2000s Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil