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.
Ancient Roman Fresco Herculaneum - Etching G. Morghen - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Ancient Roman Scene from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by Giovanni Morghen in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good condit...
Etching
Ancient Roman Fresco Herculaneum - Etching by G. Morghen - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Ancient Roman Fresco from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Giovanni Morghen in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions exc...
Etching
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...
Oil, Board
Letter of the Alphabet E - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet E from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions...
Etching
Ancient Roman Statue - Original Etching - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Ancient Roman Statue, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by an anonymous artist in the 18th c...
Etching
Ancient Roman Fresco - Original Etching by Francesco Cepparoli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Ancient Roman Fresco, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an original etching on paper realized by Francesco Cepparoli in the 18th century. Signed on the plate on the ...
Etching
$571
Ancient Roman Artifacts - Etching by Carlo Cataneo - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Ancient Roman Artifacts is an etching on paper realized by Carlo Cataneo in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions with some foxing an...
Etching
Avanzi di un Gran Salone nel piano terra della Villa di Mecenate in Tivoli
Located in Roma, IT
Like G.B.Piranesi, Rossini, well know as the “Piranesi’s heir”, trained as an architect and his etchings have the same tendency to emphasize the massive structure of the Ancient Rome...
Etching
Veduta Generale del Tempio della Sibilla... - by L. Rossini - 1824
Located in Roma, IT
Veduta Generale del Tempio della Sibilla, e Ponte della Cascata di Tivoli Image dimensions: 61x45 cm. From the series “Le antichità de’ contorni di Roma (...)” an artist's proof with...
Etching
Ornamental Pompeian Style Fresco - Etching by Nicola Fiorillo- 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Ornamental Pompeian Style Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Nicola Fiorillo in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions and ...
Etching
Letter of the Alphabet D - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet D, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Good conditions with minor foxing. ...
Etching
$237
Hercule - Etching by Jean François Poletnich - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Hercule is an etching realized by Jean François Poletnich in 18th Century. Good conditions. The artwork is depicted through confident strokes.
Etching
Letter of the Alphabet C - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet C, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Good conditions with minor foxing. ...
Etching
Letter of the Alphabet D - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet D from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Signed on the plate. Good condition...
Etching
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...
Oil, Oak, Panel
$952Sale Price|25% Off
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...
Chalk
Esto sí Que es Leer - Etching by Francisco Goya - 1868
Located in Roma, IT
Esto sí que es leer is an original etching realized by the great Spanish artist Francisco Goya and published for the first time in 1799. Etching on wove paper....
Etching, Aquatint
Genesis 5 - Old Testament Story - Etching by Giovanni Lanfranco - 1607
Located in Roma, IT
Genesis 8 -Old Testament Story is an Etching print realized by the artist Giovanni Lanfranco. About The Old Testament Story, 1607 ca. Passpartout included 29 x 39 cm The artwork i...
Etching
Avanzi della Biblioteca ... - Etching by Luigi Rossini - 1824
Located in Roma, IT
Avanzi della Biblioteca in Villa Adriana, di opera retticolata is an original etching realized by Luigi Rossini. From the collection “Le antichità de’ c...
Etching
$7,177Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Oil
$4,372Sale Price|25% Off
L'Annunziata in S. M. - Drawing by Giovanni Fontana - 16th Century
Located in Roma, IT
L'Annunziata in S. M. sopra Minerva is an original old master artwork realized by Giovanni Fontana. Ivory colored sheet attached on an ivory colored cardboard ( cm 35.8 x 26.7) Bea...
Paper, Pencil
The Academy of Plato Plato and His Disciples
Located in Fairlawn, OH
The Academy of Plato Plato and His Disciples Etching and drypoint c. 1662, printed c. 1710 Signed in the plate lower left Inscribed lower left: 'In villa ab Academo attributa sua[m]...
Etching
$20,154Sale Price|20% Off
17th-18th Century By Niccolò Cassana Portrait of a Gentleman Oil on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Niccolò Cassana (Venice, Italy, 1659 - London, UK, 1714) Title: Portrait of a Gentleman Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 119.5 x 92.5 cm Painting without frame Not si...
Canvas, Oil
Jesus - Original Etching by Thomas Holloway - 1810
Located in Roma, IT
Jesus is an original artwork realized by Thomas Holloway (1748 - 1827). Original Etching from J.C. Lavater's "Essays on Physiognomy, Designed to promote the Knowledge and the Love o...
Etching
Set of Two Hand-Colored Ornithological Engravings by George Edwards /// Bird Art
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: George Edwards (English, 1694-1773) Title: "Set of Two Hand-Colored Ornithological Engravings by George Edwards" (Plates 276, 143) Portfolio: A Natural History of Uncommon Bi...
Intaglio, Engraving, Laid Paper, Watercolor
Veduta della Gran Caduta dell' Aniene... - Etching by L. Rossini - 1825
Located in Roma, IT
Veduta della Gran Caduta dell'Aniene in Tivoli Image dimensions: 63x46 cm. From the series “Le antichità de’ contorni di Roma (...)” an artist's proof of technical virtuosity with sh...
Etching
Animal Figures for Antiquities - Original Etching - Mid-18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Animal Figures for the Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed, original etching from the mid-18th century, made by Various Old Masters. In very good condition, except for some stains al...
Etching
Veduta degli Avanzi della Villa... - Etching by L. Rossini - 1825
Located in Roma, IT
Veduta degli Avanzi della Villa di Domiziano da altri chiamata le Terme di Pompeo Magno Image dimensions: 46x60 cm. From the collection “Le antichità de’ contorni di Roma (...)” an a...
Etching
Androne della Villa di Mecenate a Tivoli - Etching by L. Rossini - 1824
Located in Roma, IT
Androne della Villa di Mecenate a Tivoli, per cui passava l'antica Via Consolare Tiburtina Image dimensions: 50x60 cm. From the collection “Le antichità de’ contorni di Roma (...)” a...
Etching
$11,756Sale Price|20% Off
Venice Landscape See Tironi Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas Old master Water
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Francesco Tironi (Venice, circa 1745 - 1797) View of Venice with the Church of S. Geremia and the Ponte delle Guglie oil on canvas 59 x 75 cm. - with frame 72 x 88 cm. Work a...
Oil
Huly Carnival and Water Party - Etching by G. Pivati - 1746/1751
Located in Roma, IT
Image dimensions: 25.5 x 18 cm. Indian Carnival called Huly, Water Party of Peguans is a fine etching, hand-watercolored, realized by the engraver Gianfrancesco Pivati. This origi...
Etching
Mercury and Io, a rediscovered painting by Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre (ca. 1740)
Located in PARIS, FR
We would like to thank Mr. Nicolas Lesur for confirming the autograph nature of the entire composition after a direct examination of the painting on November 27, 2024. This painting...
Canvas, Oil
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...
Chalk, Washi Paper
Ceremonies in the Hudson Bay - by G. Pivati - 1746-1751
Located in Roma, IT
Joy in the Hudson Bay as they take a Difonto into a hut – Manner of accompanying him to the hut. Etchings, Hand-Watercoloured. Vol. VIII, Plate LIII Image...
Etching
Obsequio a El Maestro - Etching and Aquatint by Francisco Goya - 1869
Located in Roma, IT
Obsequio a el Maestro is an original artwork realized by Francisco Goya and published for the first time in 1799. Etching on wove paper. This artwork belongs to the Third Edition p...
Etching, Aquatint
Animal Figures from Ancient Rome - Original Etching by Various Masters - 1750s
Located in Roma, IT
Animal Figures from Ancient Rome, from the Series "The Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed", is anoriginal etching from the end of the 18th century, made by Various Old Masters. In ...
Etching
$16,494
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...
Oil
$12,251Sale Price|20% Off
St. George Dragon Raphael Sanzio Paint Oil on canvas 17/18th Century Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
St. George Defeats the Dragon Follower of Raphael Sanzio (Urbino, 1483 - Rome, 1520), 17th-18th century Oil on oval canvas 124 x 95 cm./ in frame 148 x 118 cm. The painting evocati...
Oil
The Rest - Original Lithograph by Achille Deveria - Early 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
The Rest is an original hand-colored lithograph realized by Achille Deveria. The artwork is hand-signed in pencil by the artist on the lower left. Very...
Lithograph
Portrait - Original Etching by Thomas Holloway - 1810
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait is an original artwork realized by Thomas Holloway (1748-1827). Original Etching from Johann Caspar Lavater's "Essays on Physiognomy, Designed to promote the Knowledge and ...
Etching
Four original etchings of women from 'Aula Veneris' series by Wenceslaus Hollar
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Presented here as a group are four original etchings of women in European national dress from the master printmaker Wenceslaus Hollar's series "Aula V...
Etching, Paper
$47,760Sale Price|20% Off
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 ...
Oil, Wood Panel
$39,743
18th Century by Frans Van Der Mijn Portrait of a gentlewoman Oil on canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Frans Van Der Mijn (Düsseldorf, Germany, 1719 - London, UK, 1783) Title: Portrait of a gentlewoman Year: 1756 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 71.8 × 59.5 x 2 cm Pain...
Canvas, Oil
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.
Oil
Les Armoiries au Coq, Old Masters Heliogravure Etching by Albrecht Dürer
Located in Long Island City, NY
Albrecht Durer, After by Amand Durand, German (1471 - 1528) - Les Armoiries au Coq, Year: 1873, Medium: Heliogravure, Size: 8 x 5 in. (20.32 x 12.7 cm), Printer: Amand Durand, De...
Etching
$761Sale Price|20% Off
Óleo sobre tela - Retrato de una anciana - Año 1879
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va firmada a mano por el artista en la parte media y fechada del año 1879 Se presenta bien enmarcada la pintura El estado de la obra es aceptable Medidas de la obra: 61 cm...
Oil
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.
Canvas, Oil
$15,366Sale Price|40% Off
Pieter Casteels III 'Signed' Floral Still Life Old master Paint 18th Century Art
By Pieter Casteels III (Antwerp 1684 - 1749 Richmond)
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Pieter Casteels III (Antwerp 1684 - 1749 Richmond) circle Floral still life Signed lower left, on the stone: P Casteels About 1730 Oil painting on...
Oil
$5,940Sale Price|20% Off
Ecce Homo Christ Paint Oil on canvas 17th Century Old master Leonardo Italian
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Lombard painter of the seventeenth century Ecce Homo Oil painting on canvas 56 x 43 cm. , framed 75 x 63 cm. Provenance: Florence, Pandolfini, 5.10.2021, lot 209 The proposed canv...
Oil
$29,605Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Canvas, Oil
How the American Indigenous Deal with Death - Etching by G. Pivati - 1746/1751
Located in Roma, IT
Image dimensions: 25.5 x 18 cm. How the American indigenous deals with Death is a fine etching, hand-watercolored, realized by the engraver Gianfrancesco Pivati. This original prin...
Etching
$3,738Sale Price|20% Off
Huge 18th Century French Oil Painting Dogs Fighting Medieval Castle Wooden Frame
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Fighting Dogs French Provincial School, 18th century, unsigned oil on canvas, framed in period antique wooden frame (walnut?) Framed: 26 x 51 inches Canv...
Oil, Canvas
Avanzi delle rovine della Villa... - Etching by L. Rossini - 1826
Located in Roma, IT
Avanzi delle Rovine della casa del console Ventidio Basso, non molto lungi da Quintigliolo nella Valle verso Tramontana in Tivoli. Image dimensions: 36x46 cm. From the collection “L...
Etching
Avanzi delle grandi Mura ciclopee... - Etching by L. Rossini - 1825
Located in Roma, IT
Avanzi delle grandi Mura Ciclopee da Vitruvio Opus Incertum, nella città di Cora Image dimensions: 47x67 cm. From the collection “Le antichità de’ contorni di Roma (...)” an artist's...
Etching
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 ...
Oil
$41,219Sale Price|20% Off
16th Century by Neapolitan Maestro Vision of Saint John in Patmos Oil on Panel
Located in Milano, Lombardia
16th Century Neapolitan Maestro Title: Vision of Saint John in Patmos Medium: Oil on panel Dimensions: without frame 113 x 85 cm Painting without frame Not signed Expertise by Profe...
Oil, Panel
$5,058Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of a Lady - Old Master British early 19thC oil painting woman bonnet
Located in Hagley, England
A fantastic British oil painting which is unsigned and is circle of Thomas Lawrence. It depicts a portrait of a lady and dates to circa 1820. This is a super portrait painting which ...
Oil
$15,469Sale Price|20% Off
17th Century by Felice Torelli Rachel Hiding the Idols Oil on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Felice Torelli (Verona, Italy, 1667 - Bologna, Italy, 1748) Title: Rachel Hiding the Idols Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 41 x 116 cm -...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
$29,510Sale Price|20% Off
17th century By Neapolitan Maestro San Vincenzo Ferreri Oil on canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
17th Century Neapolitan Maestro Title: San Vincenzo Ferreri Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 63 x 48.5 cm - with frame 77 x 63.5 cm Original shaped, carved, sculpted a...
Canvas, Oil
$20,279Sale Price|22% Off
17th Century by Giovanni Battista Beinaschi Saint Bartholomew Oil on Canvas
By Giovanni Battista Beinaschi
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Giovanni Battista Beinaschi (Fossano, Italy, 1636 - Naples, Italy, 1688) Title: Saint Bartholomew Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 9...
Oil, Canvas