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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
An Allegory for Smell
An Allegory for Smell

An Allegory for Smell

Located in London, GB

Dutch School An Allegory for Smell 17th Century Oil on canvas Image size: 19 x 14.5 cm Dutch ebonised frame This painting depicts a rather smelly scene - a young boy bent over his f...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Oak, Panel

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

Veduta del Porto di Ripa Grande - View of the Port of Ripa Grande - 1753
Veduta del Porto di Ripa Grande - View of the Port of Ripa Grande - 1753

Veduta del Porto di Ripa Grande - View of the Port of Ripa Grande - 1753

By Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Located in Roma, IT

G. B. Piranesi, Veduta del Porto di Ripa Grande (View of the port of Ripa Grande) Etching, Burin and Drypoint on fine watermarked paper (with lily watermarked). Signed on plate lower-right: “G.B. Piranesi Architetto fec.”. 2nd State/ VI (Hind 27) Image Dim: cm 38.2 x 61.5, Dim: 53.3 x 77.3. Good conditions, with some normal fold of paper at the center From one of the most important series of etchings by G.B. Piranesi, ”Views of Rome drawn and etched by Giambattista Piranesi...

Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Escuela italiana (XVIII) - Madonna - (a la manera de Giovanni Battista Salvi)
Escuela italiana (XVIII) - Madonna - (a la manera de Giovanni Battista Salvi)

Escuela italiana (XVIII) - Madonna - (a la manera de Giovanni Battista Salvi)

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

El estado de conservación es bueno Se presenta sin enmarcar la obra, solo con un fino listón Medidas de la obra: 67 cm. de altura x 52 cm. de ancho.

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

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

Mimufops (Mimusops); Ibricaria (Shingle Oak) /// Botanical Botany Plants Buffon
Mimufops (Mimusops); Ibricaria (Shingle Oak) /// Botanical Botany Plants Buffon

Mimufops (Mimusops); Ibricaria (Shingle Oak) /// Botanical Botany Plants Buffon

By Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (French, 1707-1788) Title: "Mimufops (Mimusops); Ibricaria (Shingle Oak)" (Octandreie, Monogynie, Plate 300) Portfolio: Histoire Nature...

Category

1740s Old Masters Art

Materials

Watercolor, Laid Paper, Engraving, Intaglio

Portrait Philosopher Democritus Beinaschi Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas
Portrait Philosopher Democritus Beinaschi Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas

Portrait Philosopher Democritus Beinaschi Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas

Located in Riva del Garda, IT

Giovanni Battista Beinaschi (Fossano, c. 1634 – Naples, 1688) Portrait of the philosopher Democritus (showing a book with a white cover) Oil on canvas (82 x 64 cm - Framed 95 x ...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

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

Obelisco Egizio (Egyptian Obelisk) - Etching by G. B. Piranesi
Obelisco Egizio (Egyptian Obelisk) - Etching by G. B. Piranesi

Obelisco Egizio (Egyptian Obelisk) - Etching by G. B. Piranesi

By Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Located in Roma, IT

Obelisco Egizio (The Egyptian Obelisk in the Piazza di S. Giovanni), erected by Pope Sixtus V, is a wonderful black and white etching on fine laid and watermarked paper (with a lily inside a double circle, watermark n. 3 according to Hind) realized by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Signed on plate on the lower right margin "Piranesi Architetto fec." and with the address and price at lower left. Hind 53, second state of five. A lifetime Roman impression, before the Paris editions. Excellent condition, with central fold, as issued, visible only on the left margin. From one of the most important series of etchings by G.B. Piranesi, Views of Rome drawn and etched by Giambattista Piranesi...

Category

1750s Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Escuela hispano-colonial (XVIII-XIX) - Virgen con Niño
Escuela hispano-colonial (XVIII-XIX) - Virgen con Niño

Escuela hispano-colonial (XVIII-XIX) - Virgen con Niño

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

La obra es de autor anónimo El estado de la obra es aceptable, lo que si se remarca, es que está reentelada (por eso se aprecia la tela mas clara de lo habitual en una obra de esta ...

Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

France 18th Century, Pastorale (Arcadian Landscape), original drawing
France 18th Century, Pastorale (Arcadian Landscape), original drawing

France 18th Century, Pastorale (Arcadian Landscape), original drawing

Located in Paris, FR

France 18th Century, Pastorale (Arcadian Landscape) Black chalk and heightenings of white gouache on blue-grey paper 19 x 31 cm Framed : 34.5 x 46.5 cm The atmosphere and the subje...

Category

1760s Old Masters Art

Materials

Chalk

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

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

18th Century by Richard Wilson Landscape Oil on canvas
18th Century by Richard Wilson Landscape Oil on canvas

18th Century by Richard Wilson Landscape Oil on canvas

Located in Milano, Lombardia

Richard Wilson (Montgomeryshire, UK, 1714 - Denbigshire, UK, 1782) Title: Landscape Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 33 × 42,5 cm Painting without frame Not signed Ex...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Villagers in a Landscape - Flemish 17thC art figurative landscape oil painting
Villagers in a Landscape - Flemish 17thC art figurative landscape oil painting

Villagers in a Landscape - Flemish 17thC art figurative landscape oil painting

Located in Hagley, England

This fantastic Flemish 17th century Old Master oil painting is by Thomas Van Apshoven. It was painted circa 1650 and depicts a village with figures outside a tavern, eating, drinking and dancing. Beyond are more dwellings, villagers and animals, all under a blue summer's sky. The detail, brushwork and vibrant colouring are superb. This is an excellent example of Apshoven's work and a typical subject he loved to paint. Provenance. Leominster estate. Wax stamp verso. Condition. Oil on panel, 22 inches by 17 inches and in good condition. Frame. Housed In beautiful gilt frame, 30 inches by 25 inches and in good condition. Thomas van Apshoven (1622– 1664) was a Flemish painter known for his landscapes with peasant scenes and genre scenes in interiors. His genre scenes depict village festivals, the interiors of taverns, village scenes or landscapes with peasants engaged in various activities, singeries, guardroom scenes and laboratories of alchemists. Some still lifes have also been attributed to him. His themes and style are close to that of David Teniers the Younger. He was born on 30 November 1622 in Antwerp as the eldest son of Ferdinand van Apshoven the Elder and Leonora Wijns. His father was a painter who had studied with Adam van Noort and had become a master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1596. No paintings by his father are known. His younger brother Ferdinand van Apshoven the Younger became also a successful painter. Thomas studied under his father. Some sources state that he became a pupil of the prominent genre painter David Teniers the Younger. It is more likely, however, that he was an imitator of Teniers. He was registered as a 'wijnmeester' [son of a master] in the Guild of St. Luke of Antwerp in the guild year 1645–1646. He married Barbara Janssens on 22 March 1645. The couple had four children. The godfathers of the children included the painters Victor Wolfvoet...

Category

1650s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

BEN MORE, Auchlyne,  oil , by Frederick Richard Lee & Thomas Sidney Cooper
BEN MORE, Auchlyne,  oil , by Frederick Richard Lee & Thomas Sidney Cooper

BEN MORE, Auchlyne, oil , by Frederick Richard Lee & Thomas Sidney Cooper

Located in York, GB

BEN MORE FROM AUCHLYNE ROAD oil, by Frederick Richard Lee & Thomas Sidney Cooper A beautiful 19th century landscape painting of the Scottish mountain (Munro) by the renowned artists Frederick Lee & Thomas Sidney Cooper The painting is an oil on board, signed by both artists and dated 1854.Housed in a gilt frame. The image size is 47cm x 62cm, whilst overall the size is 69cm x 85 cm The painting is in very good condition, having had a light clean. There is some slight crazing to the sky section as to be expected with age, ( see photo close ups with flash) the frame is also in very good condition. There is a handwritten label verso which reads Note: According to Cooper, it was during a visit to Lee in Devon that a mutual decision was made to '...paint some pictures conjointly'. Lee was to paint the landscape first and Cooper to introduce the animals - and, at Lee's insistence, to handle the financial arrangements. In the late 1840s both artists were at the height of their popularity and their exhibited collaborations in the Dutch tradition created a 'great sensation' at the Royal Academy when they first appeared. Prince Albert commented that they had '...caused a new want among patrons' and pronounced them 'the Beaumont and Fletcher...

Category

Mid-19th 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

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

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.