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.
1870s Old Masters Art
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Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
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Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
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19th Century Old Masters Art
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20th Century Old Masters Art
Lithograph
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art
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18th Century Old Masters Art
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1740s Old Masters Art
Ink, Watercolor
19th Century Old Masters Art
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19th Century Old Masters Art
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1840s Old Masters Art
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Early 20th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
1860s Old Masters Art
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Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
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18th Century Old Masters Art
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19th Century Old Masters Art
Ink
Early 1600s Old Masters Art
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1770s Old Masters Art
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19th Century Old Masters Art
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1780s Old Masters Art
Ink
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
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Mid-19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
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Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
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1660s Old Masters Art
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Mid-19th Century Old Masters Art
Lithograph
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
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18th Century Old Masters Art
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1810s Old Masters Art
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18th Century Old Masters Art
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Early 1600s Old Masters Art
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1860s Old Masters Art
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19th Century Old Masters Art
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18th Century Old Masters Art
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18th Century Old Masters Art
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1810s Old Masters Art
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1810s Old Masters Art
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1740s Old Masters Art
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Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
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18th Century Old Masters Art
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18th Century Old Masters Art
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1640s Old Masters Art
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Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
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18th Century Old Masters Art
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1740s Old Masters Art
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Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art
Paper, Ink
17th Century Old Masters Art
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Late 19th Century Old Masters Art
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1810s Old Masters Art
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1760s Old Masters Art
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19th Century Old Masters Art
Woodcut
1870s Old Masters Art
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18th Century Old Masters Art
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19th Century Old Masters Art
Pencil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
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1810s Old Masters Art
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19th Century Old Masters Art
Engraving