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Old Masters Art

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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.

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Style: Old Masters
!6th c. VIEW OF FLORENCE
!6th c. VIEW OF FLORENCE

!6th c. VIEW OF FLORENCE

By Sebastian Münster

Located in Santa Monica, CA

SEBASTIAN MUNSTER (1488-1552) FLORENCZ - -- FIGUR UND GELEGENHEIT DER EDLEN UND HOCH BERHÜMPTEN STATT FLORENTZ. . c 1550 (Fauser, #3925.) Woodcut f...

Category

16th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Woodcut

Large 1700's Italian Oil Painting on Canvas Portrait of a Clerical Gentleman
Large 1700's Italian Oil Painting on Canvas Portrait of a Clerical Gentleman

Large 1700's Italian Oil Painting on Canvas Portrait of a Clerical Gentleman

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Portrait of a Clerical Gentleman Italian artist, mid 18th century Circle of Giovanni Battista Carboni (1725-1790) oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 26 x 22 inches provenance: private c...

Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Painting 19th century old master rural daily life
Painting 19th century old master rural daily life

Painting 19th century old master rural daily life

By Henri-Joseph Castaing

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

CASTAING Henri Joseph (1860-1918) Young girl at the source Oil on canvas signed low left Frame gilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 100 X 66 cm Dim frame : 121 X 86 cm CASTAING Henr...

Category

1890s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Map of the World: An Original 18th Century Hand-colored Map by E. Bowen
Map of the World: An Original 18th Century Hand-colored Map by E. Bowen

Map of the World: An Original 18th Century Hand-colored Map by E. Bowen

By Emanuel Bowen 1

Located in Alamo, CA

This is an original 18th century hand-colored map entitled "A New & Correct Chart of All The Known World Laid down according to Mercator's Projection" by Emanuel Bowen. It was published in 1744 in London in John Harris's "Navigantium atque Itinerantium Bibliotheca" or "A Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels". This highly detailed and colorful map depicts the world. as it was known in the mid 18th century. A majority of the northern and central portions of Canada and America are left blank due to the purity of knowledge at the time this map was published. The map is embellished with four Compass Roses in the lower left, lower center, lower right and center, along with many rhumb lines. There a is a decorative title cartouche in the upper left. This colorful, attractive, historical and interesting 1744 map presents the entire world on Mercator's projection as it was understood in the middle part of the 18th century, before the landmark explorations of Captain’s Cook, Vancouver, Wilkes and others. It is an example of a nautical chart, a type of map that was designed specifically for use by mariners. The map is centered on the equator and includes both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The continents of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia are depicted, as well as various islands in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. The map is laid out according to the Mercator projection, a type of cylindrical map projection that was developed in the 16th century by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator. This projection has the advantage of preserving angles and shapes, making it useful for navigation. The map presents a paucity of inland detail, particularly for the Americas, but major cities, geographical landmarks, and regions are included. Ocean currents and Tradewinds are identified, as well as the magnetic declination lines or magnetic variance, which refers to the difference between true north and compass north. The continents are color coded, enhancing the beauty of this map. The three compass roses indicate the directions of the cardinal points. The depiction of the western coast of America, the Pacific and Australia are interesting. There was very little exploration of Australia between the navigations of William Damper in 1699 and Tobias Furneaux in 1773. Most of the maps detail relies on the 17th century Dutch expeditions to Australia's western coast, by Abel Tasman and William Janszoon. Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) and New Guinea appear connected to the Australian continent. New Zealand appears as a single landmass. North of New Zealand there is a landmass labelled 'Ter d' St. Esprit' which probably represents the New Hebrides Islands. This map precedes the accurate exploration of the South Pacific and east coast of Australia by Captain James Cook later in the 18th century. The map includes ‘Drakes' Port,' the site where Sir Francis Drake supposedly landed in 1579 during his 1579 circumnavigation of the globe. Here he claimed territory for England, restocked, and repaired his vessels. Drake named the region New Albion. The exact location of Drake's Port is a cartographic mystery. Drake's Harbor is believed to be in the region of San Francisco Bay, Bodega Bay, San Pablo Bay...

Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Engraving

Call To Order Linocut Print on Linen, 21st Century, Unframed, Large
Call To Order Linocut Print on Linen, 21st Century, Unframed, Large

Call To Order Linocut Print on Linen, 21st Century, Unframed, Large

By Tosin Oyeniyi

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Unmounted artwork Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Tosin Oyeniyi is an intrinsically talente...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Ink, Linocut

Animal Anatomy - Etching by Juste Chevillet - 1771

Animal Anatomy - Etching by Juste Chevillet - 1771

Located in Roma, IT

Plate from Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière. Tome VIII – Plate III, p. 26. Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1771. Engraving (etching and burin), approx. 24.5 × 19.5 cm. This fi...

Category

1770s Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Animal Anatomy - Etching by Juste Chevillet - 1771

Animal Anatomy - Etching by Juste Chevillet - 1771

Located in Roma, IT

Buffon, Histoire Naturelle, 1771 – Tom. IX, Pl. XXXVIII (p. 360) Copper engraving from the 1771 edition, depicting detailed anatomical studies of the male reproductive system, inclu...

Category

1770s Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Animal Anatomy - Etching by Juste Chevillet - 1771

Animal Anatomy - Etching by Juste Chevillet - 1771

Located in Roma, IT

Buffon, Histoire Naturelle, 1771 – Tom. IX, Pl. VI (p. 48) Copper engraving from the 1771 edition depicting detailed anatomical studies of reproductive organs, shown in multiple vie...

Category

1770s Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

La Vierge avec l'Enfant Jesus Emmaillotte, Heliogravure by Albrecht Dürer
La Vierge avec l'Enfant Jesus Emmaillotte, Heliogravure by Albrecht Dürer

La Vierge avec l'Enfant Jesus Emmaillotte, Heliogravure by Albrecht Dürer

By Albrecht Dürer

Located in Long Island City, NY

Albrecht Durer, After by Amand Durand, German (1471 - 1528) - La Vierge avec l'Enfant Jesus Emmaillotte, Year: 1873, Medium: Heliogravure on laid paper, Size: 6 x 4 in. (15.24 x ...

Category

Late 19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

La Chaumiere Entouree de Planchees, Old Masters Etching by Rembrandt van Rijn

La Chaumiere Entouree de Planchees, Old Masters Etching by Rembrandt van Rijn

By Rembrandt van Rijn

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn, After by Amand Durand, Dutch (1606 - 1669) - La Chaumiere Entouree de Planchees (B232), Year: 1878 (of original 1648), Medium: Heliogravure, Size: 5 x 6...

Category

Late 19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Untitled (King seated on his throne, with ladies and children)
Untitled (King seated on his throne, with ladies and children)

Untitled (King seated on his throne, with ladies and children)

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Untitled (King seated on his throne, with ladies and children) From: The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, printed by Johannes Prüss Woodcut on 15th century laid paper, 1488 Unsigned (...

Category

15th Century and Earlier Old Masters Art

Materials

Woodcut

Piranesi 18th C. Etching "Reliquiae Theartri Pompejani" an Ancient Roman Theater
Piranesi 18th C. Etching "Reliquiae Theartri Pompejani" an Ancient Roman Theater

Piranesi 18th C. Etching "Reliquiae Theartri Pompejani" an Ancient Roman Theater

By Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Located in Alamo, CA

This a framed Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778) etching entitled "Reliquiae Theartri Pompejani" (Remains of the Theatre of Pompey) from "Il Campo Marzio dell'Antica Roma" (The Campus Martius of Ancient Rome), published in Rome in 1762. It depicts the remains of an ancient theater in Rome with exposed seating and an arch still standing in the foreground. An inset shows an architectural side view of a portion of the structure. The etching is presented in an antiqued silver-colored wood frame with a cream-colored French mat. The frame measures 24" x 20.75" x 1.25". The print is in excellent condition. The Theatre of Pompey (Latin: Theatrum Pompeii, Italian: Teatro di Pompeo) was a structure in Ancient Rome built during the latter part of the Roman Republican era by Pompey the Great...

Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Cartusia Bruxellensis Monastery in Brussels: A 17th C. Hand-colored Engraving
Cartusia Bruxellensis Monastery in Brussels: A 17th C. Hand-colored Engraving

Cartusia Bruxellensis Monastery in Brussels: A 17th C. Hand-colored Engraving

By Lucas Vorsterman the Younger

Located in Alamo, CA

This is a 17th century hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Cartusia Bruxellensis" by Lucas Vorsterman, the Younger, after a drawing by Jacob van Werden or Jacques van Weerden, published in 1659 in Antonius Sanderus' book 'Chorographia sacra Brabantiae sive celebrium aliquot in ea provincia ecclesiarum et coenobiorum descriptio . . . Brussel' (A sacred chorography of Brabant, or a description of several famous churches and convents in that province). It also appeared in other publications by Sanderus. In the 17th century, Brussels was within the Duchy of Brabant. This engraving depicts a bird's-eye view of the Scheut Carthusian Monastery in Brussels. Scheut is a district of Anderlecht, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium. The monastery housed monks, who took a vow of silence, in 20 rooms. There is a central courtyard with trees and shrubs. Monks are depicted strolling along its pathways. The cells for the friars are in the middle the cloister. There are people along the streets in the foreground and to the right of the large, imposing monastery. Some are on horseback, others are walking. In the lower right, what appears to be a dog pulls a small cart containing barrels, possibly of beer or wine. Districts and neighborhoods are labelled in the background, including Scheut, Anderlecht and Ransfort. A very ornate cartouche in the lower left contains Latin and the artist's attribution. Another decorative cartouche in the upper central area contains the title. This beautifully hand-colored and detailed engraving is printed on laid, chain-linked paper with wide, full margins. The sheet measures 17.25" high and 21.25" wide. It has Latin text on the verso. It has a central vertical fold, as issued, which is reinforced on the verso. Two small spots in the lower margin may actually represent drops of watercolor paint used to color the engraving. It is otherwise in very good condition. Antonius Sanderus (1586-1664) was a Flemish Catholic cleric and historian. He was born "Antoon Sanders", but Latinized his name like many writers and scholars of his time. He was the author of several books, including 'Chorographia Sacra Brabantiae', which was illustrated with this engraving. Lucas Vorsterman the Younger (1624-between 1666 & 1676) was a Flemish Baroque engraver and draughtsman. He produced engravings after the work of contemporary painters and for books by Antwerp publishers. Jacob van Werden or Jacques van Weerden (active 1643-1669), was a Flemish draughtsman, cartographer, military engineer and archer who was active in the Habsburg Netherlands. His drawings were used as designs for prints executed by various printmakers. He worked on maps, topographical views, historical scenes, portraits and book illustrations. He had a career as a military engineer and a member of the guard of the Spanish King. He advised on various military engineering projects and was an engineer of the Spanish army...

Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Engraving

Sir. John Powell, Knight: Early 18th C. Engraved Portrait After William Sherwin
Sir. John Powell, Knight: Early 18th C. Engraved Portrait After William Sherwin

Sir. John Powell, Knight: Early 18th C. Engraved Portrait After William Sherwin

Located in Alamo, CA

This is an early 18th century portrait of Sir John Powell entitled "The Honorable Sr. John Powell, Knight. one of the Justices of her Majesties' Court of Common Pleas. Ano. D 1711". It was engraved and published by John King in London in 1711, after an earlier work by William Sherwin. The engraving depicts a bust length portrait of Powell wearing an elaborate fir-trimmed robe and collar. The portrait is encompassed in an ornate oval frame, sitting on a pedestal with an impressive coat-of-arms below. This engraved portrait is printed on laid, chain-linked watermarked cream-colored paper The sheet measures 15.25" high and 11.38" wide. It is adhered to an archival thick card at the upper corners, There is a 1/8" tear at the lower edge of the sheet, but the print is otherwise in very good condition. This engraving is held by museums and institutions, including the British Museum and the Harvard University Art Museum. Sir John Powell (1632-1696) was an English lawyer and judge who served as a justice of the King's Bench from 1683 until his death. He was born in Glamorganshire, Wales, and studied at Jesus College, Oxford, before being called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1656. Powell was known for his staunch support of the monarchy and the Church of England, and he played a prominent role in the trial of the Whig leader Lord William Russell in 1683, which resulted in Russell's execution for his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate King Charles II. Powell was also involved in the trials of several other prominent Whig politicians, including Algernon Sidney and Titus Oates. In addition to his work as a judge, Powell was also a member of Parliament for various constituencies throughout his career, and he served as Solicitor General and Attorney General for Wales under King James II. However, he opposed James's efforts to promote Catholicism and supported the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which led to James's overthrow and the installation of William and Mary as joint monarchs. Powell was known for his intellectual rigor and his legal expertise, and he authored several influential legal treatises during his lifetime. He was widely respected by his peers and by the legal community as a whole, and his legacy as a jurist and judge continues to be celebrated today. William Sherwin (1645-1709) was an English engraver who worked during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and is known for his high-quality engravings of various subjects, including portraits, landscapes, and architectural views. Sherwin was trained as an engraver and worked as an apprentice to the renowned engraver Robert White. After completing his training, he went on to establish his own studio in London, where he produced a significant body of work over the course of his career. One of Sherwin's most famous works is his engraving of the portrait of John Locke...

Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Engraving

The Singers

The Singers

By Adriaen van Ostade

Located in Chicago, IL

The Singers (4th State), 1667 Etching printed with tone 240 x 190 mm.; 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches Provenance: W. Benoni White (Lugt 2592) Karl Herweg (not in Lugt) References: Godefroy 19 IV/VII Hollstein 19 IV/VII Pelletier, Georgia Museum of Art, 1994: nos. 46 and 47 Notes: A very fine impression of the rare 4th state (of seven) of this major Van Ostade. Godefroy illustrates differences between this 4th state and the following 5th state. In the latter state, there are several “escaped lines”, going obliquely from left to right, directly above the central post. These lines are not visible in the 4th state. Ostade was one of the most important of the printmakers within the Rembrandt circle. His prints, avoiding religious subjects, depicted beggars, peasants and artisans. Combining great artistic sensitivity with thorough mastery of the medium of etching, Ostade etchings present a unique artistic panorama of life in seventeenth-century Holland. Pelletier (S. William Pelletier, Adrian Van Ostade...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Camera sepolcrale
Camera sepolcrale

Camera sepolcrale

By Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Camera sepolcrale Etching 1743 Signed in the bottom left corner From: Prima Parte, 1743 Second edition: 1750-1778 Watermark: R 37-39 A lifetime impression printed during Piranesi’s life, before the plates are moved to Paris by his sons in the 1790’s Condition: Excellent Image size: 14 5/8 x 9 3/4 inches Reference: Robison 20 iii/V Piranesi In Rome: Prima Parte di Architetture e Prospettive "Although Piranesi studied architecture in Venice, he never was able to find work in the field other than a few jobs involving remodeling in Rome. While Piranesi was struggling to support his architectural endeavors upon his arrival in Rome in 1740, he spent a short period of time in the studio of master painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) in addition to his apprenticeship with Giuseppe Vasi. The first production of Piranesi’s early years in Rome and a culmination of his training under Vasi, Tiepolo, and his uncle, was the Prima Parte di Architetture e Prospettive (1743). The Prima Parte was a collection of twelve etchings of imaginary temples, palaces, ruins, and a prison. During this time, Piranesi was still developing the unique style of etching he is known for today, and as such the Prima Parte differs significantly in technique compared to later works. In the Frontispiece of the Prima Parte, Piranesi’s lines are definite and exact with very little flow to them, designed in the form of traditional etching. The detail is immaculate, and yet perspective of the piece is oddly simple and familiar to the viewer. Piranesi’s technique employs miniscule markings and lines, intricately woven together to create a stippling effect. The Prima Parte, described as “rigid” by art historian Jonathan Scott, came to be seen as a stark contrast to his later sketches, which were much lighter and freer. Influenced by the style of Tiepolo, which epitomized the lightness and brightness of the Rococo period, Piranesi adopted some of the more painterly techniques of the masters he apprenticed under. Piranesi made the medium of etching appear as though it was a sketch or a painting, hence a “freer” and more fluid design in his later works. For example, the frontispiece of the Prima Parte read as an etching to Piranesi’s audience, but in his later vedute, the style of etching almost appears to be made of brushstrokes. Moreover, at the same time Piranesi was working on the Prima Parte, he aided the artist Giambattista Nolli. There is a small section of Nolli’s map...

Category

1740s Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

COUNTRY SCENE -Italian School Landescape Rural- Italian Oil on canvas Painting
COUNTRY SCENE -Italian School Landescape Rural- Italian Oil on canvas Painting

COUNTRY SCENE -Italian School Landescape Rural- Italian Oil on canvas Painting

By Pietro Colonna

Located in Napoli, IT

Country scene - Pietro Colonna Italia 2008 - Oil on board cm. 30x40 Gold gilded wooden frame available on request In this wonderful oil on panel the painter portrays some washerwomen as they are doing their work on the banks of a watercourse. In the background a rural landscape. The painting inspires...

Category

Early 2000s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Board

The Large Village Fair

The Large Village Fair

By Cornelis Dusart

Located in Chicago, IL

The Large Village Fair, 1685 Etching 268 x 377 mm.; 10 1/2 x 13 1/4 inches Watermark: Arms of Amsterdam Provenance: H. Freiherr von und zu Aufsess (Lugt 2749) M. Menge (Lugt 1893a). References: Hollstein 16 Notes: A fine, early impression (before spots on the sky) of one of Dusart’s most powerful and fanciful works. Concerning the provenances of this etching: Hans von und zu Aufsess (1801-1872) was a great book lover and also a major collector of Old Master prints. He was one of the founders, in 1852, of the Germanisches Museum in Nürnberg and was that museum’s director until 1862. Mas Menge (died in 1945) was a famous violinist and also a major collector of Old Master prints and drawings.

Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Oleo sobre tela - La profesora y la alumna - 90 x 100 cm.
Oleo sobre tela - La profesora y la alumna - 90 x 100 cm.

Oleo sobre tela - La profesora y la alumna - 90 x 100 cm.

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

la obra va firmada en la parte inferior "roman ribera" esta obra és de aproximadamente ultimo tercio del siglo xix el estado de la obra es bueno la obra se presenta enmarcada con ...

Category

Early 1900s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait du Prince de Phalsbourg

Portrait du Prince de Phalsbourg

By Jacques Callot

Located in Chicago, IL

Watermark: Lion and Star (Lieure 38) References: Lieure No. 505 Notes: An early impression of the only state of this major work. According to Lieure (Jacques Callot: Catalogue de l...

Category

16th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Allegorical Figure, Holding a Ball
Allegorical Figure, Holding a Ball

Allegorical Figure, Holding a Ball

By Giorgio Mantovano Ghisi

Located in Chicago, IL

Provenance: Edouard Schultze (Lugt 906) References: Bartsch 34 Boorsch & Lewis 38 Notes: A fine impression of this engraving. Boorsch and Lewis state that this work dates from “the mid-1560s” and suggest that it was after a work by Giulio Romano...

Category

16th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Engraving

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.