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.
18th Century Old Masters Art
Ink, Watercolor
Early 18th Century Old Masters Art
Engraving
18th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil, Board
1640s Old Masters Art
Oil
1970s Old Masters Art
Color
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil, Oak, Panel
1780s Old Masters Art
Oil
1810s Old Masters Art
Etching
Late 17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil, Canvas
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching, Aquatint
1760s Old Masters Art
Chalk
1850s Old Masters Art
Oil
1630s Old Masters Art
Engraving
Early 2000s Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Old Masters Art
Tapestry
18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
1770s Old Masters Art
Etching
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
1750s Old Masters Art
Etching
Late 17th Century Old Masters Art
Cotton Canvas, Canvas, Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Early 17th Century Old Masters Art
Etching, Aquatint
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
19th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
Late 17th Century Old Masters Art
Engraving
1860s Old Masters Art
Etching, Aquatint
17th Century Old Masters Art
Paper, Canvas, Oil
Early 19th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
1720s Old Masters Art
Laid Paper, Engraving, Etching
19th Century Old Masters Art
Panel, Oil
16th Century Old Masters Art
Paper, Pencil
1750s Old Masters Art
Etching
17th Century Old Masters Art
Copper
Late 17th Century Old Masters Art
Paper, Charcoal, Chalk
Early 20th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Paper, Etching
16th Century Old Masters Art
Engraving
18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Chalk
Early 2000s Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
1820s Old Masters Art
Watercolor
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art
Paper, Ink
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
1780s Old Masters Art
Ink
1840s Old Masters Art
Oil
1890s Old Masters Art
Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio