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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
17th/18th century portrait , Circle Godfrey Kneller, wife, Earl of  westmorland
17th/18th century portrait , Circle Godfrey Kneller, wife, Earl of  westmorland

17th/18th century portrait , Circle Godfrey Kneller, wife, Earl of westmorland

By (Circle of) Godfrey Kneller

Located in York, GB

Portrait Circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller Bt. unsigned (British, 1646-1723) of Katharine, wife of Thomas, 6th Earl of Westmorland, oil on canvas late 17th early 18th century in date. The sitter Katharine is facing dexter and is wearing a cream dress, blue and gold cloak and lace mantilla...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Henry Raeburn, (circle) 19th Century portrait of Sir Charles Forbes Edinglassie
Henry Raeburn, (circle) 19th Century portrait of Sir Charles Forbes Edinglassie

Henry Raeburn, (circle) 19th Century portrait of Sir Charles Forbes Edinglassie

By Henry Raeburn (circle)

Located in York, GB

Portrait of Sir Charles Forbes of Edinglassie, Oil on canvas. The size of the portrait is 75 cm x 59.5 cm whilst overall the size is 106 cm x 91 cm In very good condition.There has been some restoration/overpainting etc.There is some minor craquelure. Housed in a period gilt frame decorated with acorns and leaves Overall a good portrait, circle of a fine scottish artist (unsigned) , with an interesting sitter, his details below. sir Charles Forbes of Edinglassie Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet (1774–1849) was a Scottish politician, of Newe and Edinglassie, Aberdeenshire. Forbes was the son of the Rev. George Forbes of Lochell. He was a descendant of Alexander Forbes of Kinaldie and Pitsligo, and was in 1833 served heir male in general to Alexander Forbes, 3rd lord Forbes of Pitsligo, father of Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord Forbes of Pitsligo, attainted in 1745. Forbes was of a bluff but kindly nature, diffident as to his own merits, of a straightforward and manly character. On the death of his uncle in 1821 Forbes succeeded to the entailed estates of the Forbeses of Newe, and was created a baronet by patent in 1823.[1] He married in 1811. His daughter, Elizabeth, married General, Lord James Hay, second son of the seventh Marquess of Tweeddale. Sir Henry Raeburn FRSE, RA, RSA (1756-1823) Scottish portrait painter and Scotland's first significant portrait painter since the Union to remain based in Scotland. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland Raeburn had all the essential qualities of a popular and successful portrait painter. He was able to produce a telling and forcible likeness; his work is distinguished by powerful characterisation, stark realism, dramatic and unusual lighting...

Category

19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Ruega por Ella  - Etching by Francisco Goya - 1868

Ruega por Ella - Etching by Francisco Goya - 1868

By Francisco Goya

Located in Roma, IT

Ruega por Ella is an original etching realized by the great Spanish artist Francisco Goya and published for the first time in 1799. Original etching on paper. The plate is part of ...

Category

1860s Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

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

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

Óleo sobre lienzo - Retrato de un Rabino
Óleo sobre lienzo - Retrato de un Rabino

Óleo sobre lienzo - Retrato de un Rabino

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

Como pueden apreciar, la obra va firmada por el artista en la parte inferior (A.GROSZ) Se presenta enmarcada la obra (el marco presenta algunas faltas) El estado de la obra es buen...

Category

Early 1900s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Letter P - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century

Letter P - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century

Located in Roma, IT

Letter P is an Etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Antichità di Ercolano Esposte”)...

Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Russian Orthodox Church, Middle 19th Century
Russian Orthodox Church, Middle 19th Century

Russian Orthodox Church, Middle 19th Century

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Unknown Russian Artist Russian Orthodox Church, Middle 19th century Unsigned Illuminated in red, yellow blue and green pigments and gold leaf on paper ...

Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Pigment

Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850
Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850

Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850

Located in Chicago, IL

Painted in the 19th century, this exquisite miniature portrait wonderfully exemplifies realism in traditional oil painting. The small artwork is painted in the conventional portraiture style of the Old Masters, and achieves soft realism with fine brushwork and a subdued, neutral palette. The half length portrait depicts a fine Victorian woman dressed in all black with a delicate lace collar and bonnet. She wears a ruby broach...

Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Letter I - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century

Letter I - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century

Located in Roma, IT

Letter I is an Etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Antichità di Ercolano Esposte”)...

Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Flowers Still-life Scacciati 17th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master (2/3)
Flowers Still-life Scacciati 17th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master (2/3)

Flowers Still-life Scacciati 17th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master (2/3)

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Andrea Scacciati (Florence 1642-1710) Composition of flowers within embossed vase (2 of 3) oil on canvas 130 x 90 cm In antique frame 145 x 105 cm. Work with expertise by Prof. Emi...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Lady with a Blue Bow - British 18thC art Old Master oil painting
Portrait of a Lady with a Blue Bow - British 18thC art Old Master oil painting

Portrait of a Lady with a Blue Bow - British 18thC art Old Master oil painting

Located in Hagley, England

This superb British 18th century Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to Matthew William Peters. Painted circa 1780 it is a fine half length portrait of a woman gazing to her left. She has a lovely blue bow and sash on her dress. The sympathetic detail in her face is sublime. A really wonderful 18th century Old Master portrait. Matthew William Peters was known for his late 18th century portraits which had both the influence of Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. Provenance. Lincolnshire estate. Condition. Oil on canvas 30 inches by 25 inches unframed and in good condition. Has has restoration. Frame. Housed in an ornate gilt carved swept period frame, 40 inches by 35 inches framed and in good condition. Matthew William Peters (1742-1814) was an English portrait and genre painter who later became an Anglican clergyman and chaplain to George IV. He became known as "William" when he started signing his works as "W. Peters". Peters was born in Freshwater, Isle of Wight, the son of Matthew Peters (born at Belfast, 1711), a civil engineer and member of the Royal Dublin Society; by Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of George Younge of Dublin. The family moved from England to Dublin when Peters was young. Peters received his artistic training from Robert West in Dublin; in 1756 and 1758 he received prizes from the first School of Design in Dublin. In 1759, he was sent by the Dublin Society to London to become a student of Thomas Hudson and won a premium from the Society of Arts. The group also paid for him to travel to Italy to study art from 1761 to 1765. On 23 September 1762 he was elected to the Accademia del Disegno in Florence. Peters returned to England in 1765 and exhibited works at the Society of Artists from 1766 to 1769. Beginning in 1769, Peters exhibited works at the Royal Academy. In 1771 he was elected an associate and in 1777 an academician. He returned to Italy in 1771 and stayed until 1775. He also probably traveled to Paris in 1783–84, where he met Léopold Boilly, Antoine Vestier, and was influenced by the work of Jean-Baptiste Greuze. On 27 February 1769, Peters became a freemason, and he was made the grand portrait painter of the Freemasons and the first provincial grand master of Lincolnshire in 1792. In 1785, he exhibited portraits of the Duke of Manchester and Lord Petre as Grand Master at the Royal Academy exhibition. According to Robin Simon's article in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, no British contemporary had such an Italian manner of painting as Peters, reflecting the old masters he copied. Many of Peters' works were erotic and although these works did not damage his career, according to Simon, Peters later regretted these when he became an ordained clergyman in 1781. He served as the Royal Academy's chaplain from 1784 to 1788, at which time he resigned to become chaplain to the Prince of Wales. In 1784, Peters was awarded the living of Scalford, Leicestershire by Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland. In 1788, the Dowager Duchess gave him the living at Knipton, at which time he also obtained that at Woolsthorpe. These livings were near to Belvoir Castle...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Late 17th Century By Still-life Italian painter Still life Oil on Canvas
Late 17th Century By Still-life Italian painter Still life Oil on Canvas

Late 17th Century By Still-life Italian painter Still life Oil on Canvas

Located in Milano, Lombardia

17th Century Still-life Italian painter Title: Still life Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 58 x 136 cm - with frame 71.5 x 150 cm Antique shaped and gilded wooden box...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Young Boy - British art 1780 Old Master male portrait oil painting
Portrait of a Young Boy - British art 1780 Old Master male portrait oil painting

Portrait of a Young Boy - British art 1780 Old Master male portrait oil painting

By Joseph Wright of Derby

Located in Hagley, England

This lovely Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to the circle of Joseph Wright of Derby. Painted circa 1780 the painting is of a boy in a tunic and wide collar. A really c...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Cleric - British 18th century art Old Master oil painting
Portrait of a Cleric - British 18th century art Old Master oil painting

Portrait of a Cleric - British 18th century art Old Master oil painting

By Joseph Highmore

Located in Hagley, England

This fantastic portrait oil painting is attributed to British Old Master Joseph Highmore and was painted in 1770. The half length standing portrait is of a Cleric, dressed in his wig...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

17th Century by Luca Forte Walnuts, Chestnuts, a Bunch of Grapes and a Quince
17th Century by Luca Forte Walnuts, Chestnuts, a Bunch of Grapes and a Quince

17th Century by Luca Forte Walnuts, Chestnuts, a Bunch of Grapes and a Quince

Located in Milano, Lombardia

Luca Forte (Naples, 1615 ca. - 1670 ca.) Title: Walnuts, Chestnuts, a Bunch of Grapes and a Quince Medium: Oil on walnut panel Dimensions: without frame 13 x 22.5 cm - with frame 31 ...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Saint Mark Evangelist Guercino Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century Italy
Saint Mark Evangelist Guercino Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century Italy

Saint Mark Evangelist Guercino Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century Italy

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Workshop of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Il Guercino (Cento, 1591 - Bologna, 1666) Saint Mark the Evangelist Oil on canvas - 85 x 71 cm., Framed 100 x 86 cm. Of great cha...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

19th Century by Sir Henry Raeburn Portrait of a landowner Oil on canvas
19th Century by Sir Henry Raeburn Portrait of a landowner Oil on canvas

19th Century by Sir Henry Raeburn Portrait of a landowner Oil on canvas

By Sir Henry Raeburn

Located in Milano, Lombardia

Sir Henry Raeburn (Stockbridge, Edinburgh, UK, 1756 - Edinburgh, UK, 1823) Title: Portrait of a landowner Year: Early 19th century, 1803 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: Without fra...

Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Set of Two Leaves from "Missale Frisingense" /// German Catholic Incunabula 15th
Set of Two Leaves from "Missale Frisingense" /// German Catholic Incunabula 15th

Set of Two Leaves from "Missale Frisingense" /// German Catholic Incunabula 15th

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Erhard Ratdolt (German, 1442-1528) Title: "Preface Page" and "Page CVI - 106" Portfolio: Missale Frisingense Year: 1492 (First edition) Medium: Set of Two Original Incunabula Leaves on watermarked laid paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Erhard Ratdolt, Ausburg, Germany Publisher: Sixtus of Tannberg, Freising, Germany Sheet size (each): approx. 11.94" x 8.13" Reference: Hain No. 11303; Weale/Bohatta No. 396; Schreiber No. 4699; Pell No. 7944 Condition: "Preface Page" has the occasional wormhole. Remnants of tape, a tape and a paper clip stain along its edge. Minor foxing and soiling mainly in margins. "Page CVI - 106" has remnants of tape and a small stain along its left edge. Light foxing and soiling about its sheet with some general edge wear. Have been professionally stored away for decades. They are both otherwise strong impressions in good condition with strong colors Very rare Notes: Comes from Ratdolt's one volume "Missale Frisingense", (1492) (First edition), which consists of 576 pages of Gothic texts in Latin with red rubricated initials, music, and woodcut engraved illustrations. Printed in Augsburg by Erhard Ratdolt on March 17, 1492. "Preface Page" has a bull's head and cross watermark in the upper center of its sheet. Some information and old prices inscribed in pencil to their sheets. A missal is a book that contains the prayers, chants, biblical readings, and rubrics for celebrating Mass. The first missals were found in monasteries in the 12th and 13th centuries. The term missale is Latin for "Mass book". Biography: Erhard Ratdolt (1442–1528) was an early German printer from Augsburg. He was active as a printer in Venice from 1476 to 1486, and afterwards in Augsburg. From 1475 to 1478 he was in partnership with two other German printers. The first book the partnership produced was the Calendarium (1476), written and previously published by Regiomontanus, which offered one of the earliest examples of a modern title page. Other noteworthy publications are the "Historia Romana of Appianus" (1477), and the first edition of "Euclid's Elements" (1482), where he solved the problem of printing geometric diagrams, the "Poeticon astronomicon", also from 1482, "Haly Abenragel" (1485), and "Alchabitius" (1503). Ratdolt is also famous for having produced the first known printer's type specimen...

Category

15th Century and Earlier Old Masters Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Woodcut

Jesus Son Salvi Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century Italian Religious
Jesus Son Salvi Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century Italian Religious

Jesus Son Salvi Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century Italian Religious

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Ancient painting depicting Jesus with the Commissioner's son (Alternative reading: St. Joseph with the Child, or the 'Paternity') Giovan Battista Salvi known as "the Sassoferrato" (1609 - 1685) circle / follower Oil painting on canvas 76 x 59 cm. -With frame in the shape of a small temple, not coeval 99 x 84 cm. The interesting canvas that we are pleased to offer you recalls the iconographic model of classic paternity, which traditionally sees Saint Joseph holding the sleeping baby Jesus...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Hagar Angel Sacrifice Isaac 18th Century Neapolitan School Old master Paint Oil
Hagar Angel Sacrifice Isaac 18th Century Neapolitan School Old master Paint Oil

Hagar Angel Sacrifice Isaac 18th Century Neapolitan School Old master Paint Oil

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

18th-century Neapolitan master Pair of paintings ‘Hagar and the Angel’ and ’The Sacrifice of Isaac’ Pair of oils on oval canvas 75 x 60 cm. - In frame 84 x 69 cm. The proposed pair...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Antique, decorative oil painting, 18th century. Christian scene.
Antique, decorative oil painting, 18th century. Christian scene.

Antique, decorative oil painting, 18th century. Christian scene.

Located in Berlin, DE

Antique, decorative oil painting, 18th century. Christian scene. Canvas relined. With a beautiful wooden frame. Dimensions without frame.

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

The Triumph of the Infant Bacchus, workshop of H. Van Balen, 16th c. Antwerp
The Triumph of the Infant Bacchus, workshop of H. Van Balen, 16th c. Antwerp

The Triumph of the Infant Bacchus, workshop of H. Van Balen, 16th c. Antwerp

By Hendrick van Balen

Located in PARIS, FR

The Triumph of the Infant Bacchus, Workshop of Hendrick Van Balen (1575-1632) Antwerp, c.1630 Oil on copper, h. 28 cm (11.02 in), w. 35 cm (13.78 in) A large Roman 17th century golden painted frame Framed: h. 52 cm (20.47 in.), w. 58 cm (22.83 in) This artwork is sold with a certificate of authenticity guaranteeing its origin, date of execution, and attribution to the artist. Our finely painted work depicts The Triumph of the Bacchus as a young boy and is one of the most popular mythological subjects in Antwerp at the beginning of the 17th century. Feasting, wine and fun are the themes that constantly appeal to the public. Thus unfolds before our eyes on our painting the procession composed of nymphs, baccantes, fauns, satyrs and children, their bodies naked, partially covered with brightly coloured draperies that help to brighten up the parade. Playing various instruments, dancing and drinking, while carrying vases and poles adorned with grapevines, participants to the rhythm of a noisy brass band make their way to an ancient temple standing on the right. The exaggerated gestures convey to us the frenzy of the excited crowd. The Child Bacchus follows the joyous procession, carried by satyrs and nymphs, crowned with ivy and joyfully raising a cup of wine. In the foreground, the drunken participants leave the procession, the children on the left and the group of bacchantes and satyrs on the right are resting among various objects scattered at their feet: cups, vases, ewers bear witness to the festivities in progress. In the background, a hilly landscape stretches out on the horizon, a semblance of calm that contrasts with the bustle of the foreground. The artist strives to multiply the many details, whether it be figures, costumes, flowers or vegetation, in order to demonstrate his know-how and the perfection of his execution. The acidulous palette with fresh and varied colours is characteristic of Hendrick Van Balen's works. There are several versions identical to ours with similar dimensions painted by Hendrick Van Balen and his workshop. Related works: • Koller Auction, Zurich, 21/09/2007, oil on copper, 28,5 x 37,4 cm. • Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Inv. N° 809 (oil on copper, 40 x 53,5 cm) • Auktionshaus für Altertümer Glückselig, Vienne, 10/05/1932, ( oil on copper, 34 x 42 cm) • Gemäldegalerie of Pommersfelden, Schloss Weissenstein, oil on panel, 47 x 64 cm Hendrick Van Balen, Flemish painter, born and died in Antwerp (1575-1632). A pupil of Adam Van Noort, he entered the Guild of St. Luke in 1593, later trained in Italy and was Van Dyck's first teacher. He often painted small figures taken from scenes from the Bible or classical mythology, on paintings whose backgrounds and landscapes were painted by Josse de Momper...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Copper

Studies of a kneeling female figure, an arm, a hand, and a head in profile
Studies of a kneeling female figure, an arm, a hand, and a head in profile

Studies of a kneeling female figure, an arm, a hand, and a head in profile

By Carlo Maratta (Ancona 1625 - Rome 1713)

Located in Paris, Île-de-France

Studio of Carlo Maratti (or Maratta) Camerano 1625 – Rome 1713 Studies of a kneeling female figure, an arm, a hand, and a head in profile Red chalk on paper 43.4 x 26.6 cm Unsigne...

Category

Late 17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Chalk

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.