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.
17th century etching black and white indoors table figures scene
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"The Conversation" is an original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Bega. It depicts three men conversing in a dark interior. Publisher: Pearce #43. 3" x 2 1/4" art 12 3/4" x 11 5/8" fra...
Etching
Herd - Etching by Eugène Burnand - Late 19th century
Located in Roma, IT
Herd is an original etching realized by Eugène Burnand (1850-1921) in the Late 19th century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions with foxing. The a...
Engraving, Etching
In The Forest - Etching by Eugène Burnand - Late 19th century
Located in Roma, IT
In The Forest is an etching realized by Eugène Burnand (1850-1921) in the Late 19th century. Good conditions with foxing. The artwork is realized through short and deft strokes, a...
Engraving, Etching
The Death of Mireille - Etching by Eugène Burnand - Late 19th century
Located in Roma, IT
The Death of Mireille is an etching realized by Eugène Burnand (1850-1921) in the Late 19th century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions with foxing. The artwork is realized thr...
Engraving, Etching
The Farmers - Etching by Eugène Burnand - Late 19th century
Located in Roma, IT
The Farmers is an etching realized by Eugène Burnand (1850-1921) in the Late 19th century. Good conditions with foxing. The artwork is realized throu...
Engraving, Etching
$1,045
Profile of an Oriental Man - Etching - 17th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Profile of an oriental man is an artwork realized in 17th Century, after HARMENSZ VAN RIJN REMBRANDT, (1606 Leiden - 1669 Amsterdam) Etching on paper. 13 x 12 cm. Slightly stained, heavily trimmed. The motif shows reminiscences of similar motifs of Rembrandt, as well as of Salomon Koninck...
Etching
Letter S - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter S is an etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli artist of the 18th century. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Anti...
Etching
Letter V - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter V is an etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli artist of 18th century. Good condtions. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original ti...
Etching
San Pietro in Vincoli - Etching by G. Vasi - Late 18th century
Located in Roma, IT
San Pietro in Vincoli is an artwork realized by Giuseppe Vasi in the late 18th century. Etching, 33 x 45 cm. Signed and titled in the lower part. Good conditions! Giuseppe Vasi (Corleone,1710 - Rome, 1782) was an engraver, architect, and landscape artist. Between 1746 and 1761, Vasi published 10 volumes with 240 engravings of the monuments of Rome...
Etching
17th century etching black and white landscape forest trees satyr goats
By Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Mythological Scene--Satyr & Goat Herder" is an etching by Italian artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. It depicts a satyr lounging on the left and an approaching goat herder o...
Etching
Sketch of a Man in Profile
Located in London, GB
Sketch of a Man in Profile 17th Century French School Ink on paper Image Size: 10 1/2 x 7 inches (26.5 x 17.5 cm) Framed Provenance The estate of Joseph McCrindle Christies Old Masters and British Pictures and Old Master Drawings Sale 12th December 2008 This highly worked picture shows us a man depicted in profile is seen interacting with a scene that extends beyond the boundaries of the paper's composition, the pen strokes intricately portraying the man's face, rendering a detailed, textured complexion. He points his left hand out to something in the distance, with a look of almost alarm. The artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609-64) did a series of oriental head studies. The exotic headgear that he wears and this type of oriental head studies, had its principal source was of course Rembrandt, who etched many similar heads during the 1630s. In the seventeenth-century Western European imagination, the turbaned figure represented the epitome of alterity: the Ottoman Turk. Ottoman costume...
Paper, Ink
Still Life With Bottles - Etching by Nicola Vanni - 1770s
By Nicola Vanni
Located in Roma, IT
Still Life With Bottles from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Nicola Vanni in 1770s. Signed on the plate. Good conditions, included a cream colored c...
Etching
Wildlife - Etching by Jean Lepautre - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Wildlife is an etching realized by Jean Le Pautre in 18th Century. Good conditions. Signed on plate. The artwork is depicted through confident strokes.
Etching
$232
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
A L'Image Notre Dame - Woodcut by Charles-Antoine Jombert - 1755
Located in Roma, IT
A L'Image Notre Dame is a woodcut print realized by Charles-Antoine Jombert in 1755. Good conditions. The print was realized for the anatomy study “JOMBERT, Charles-Antoine (1712-1784) - Méthode pour apprendre le dessein, ou l'on donne les regles générales de ce grand Art.. enrichie de cent planches representant differentes parties du Corps Humain.. et quelques etudes d`Animaux & de Paysage. Paris: C.A. Jombert, 1755” The plates of this important study were mainly dedicated to anatomical studies, physiognomy and proportions, many taken from works by famous artists such as Raphael, Guido Reni and Titian, as well as classical works including the Farnese Hercules and the Medici Venus.
Woodcut
Genesis 31 - Old Testament Story - Etching by Giovanni Lanfranco - 1607
Located in Roma, IT
Genesis 31 -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 ...
Etching
Genesis 5 - Old Testament Story - Etching by Giovanni Lanfranco - 1607
Located in Roma, IT
Genesis 5 -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
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
Roman Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" by Giuseppe Aloja - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Roman Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Giuseppe Aloja in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions. The etching belongs to ...
Etching
Roman Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" by Giuseppe Aloja - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Roman Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Giuseppe Aloja in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions. The etching belongs to ...
Etching
Letter A - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter A is an Etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli artist of 18th century. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Expose...
Etching
Exodous 14 - Old Testament Story - Etching by Sisto Badalocchio - 1607
Located in Roma, IT
Exodous 14 - Old Testament Story is an Etching print realized by the artist Sisto Badalocchio. About The Old Testament Story, 1607 ca. Passpartout ...
Etching
Genesis 31 - Old Testament Story - Etching by Giovanni Lanfranco - 1607
Located in Roma, IT
Genesis 31 -Old Testament Story is an Etching print realized by the artist Sisto Badalocchio. About The Old Testament Story, 1607 ca. Passpartout included 29 x 39 cm The artwork i...
Etching
Joshua 26 - Old Testament Story - Etching by Giovanni Lanfranco - 1607
Located in Roma, IT
Joshua 26 - 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 is in good condition with some foxing. Together Giovanni Lanfranco with Sisto Badalocchio (q.v.), he was a pupil in Parma of Agostino Carracci (1557-1602). Again with Badalocchio, he traveled to Rome in 1602, following Agostino's death, to work under Annibale Carracci (1560-1609), where the two assisted him with, among other projects, the completion of the decoration of the Galleria Farnese. Lanfranco's return to Rome in 1612, he was for long the close rival of Domenichino (q.v.) for some of the most prestigious commissions of the day. Lanfranco's reputation was secured by his 'proto-Baroque', illusionistic fresco in the style of Correggio in the dome of S.Andrea della Valle, painted in 1625-7. In 1634 Lanfranco transferred to Naples, where he painted fresco decorations in the Gesu Nuovo (1634-5); the Certosa di S. Martino (1637-8/9; see 1967,0211.2); SS Apostles (1638-46; see 1895,0915.728); and the Cappella del Tesoro in the cathedral of S. Gennaro. He returned to Rome in 1646, where his last major commission from him was his fresco decoration of the 'Glory of St Carlo Borromeo...
Etching
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”)...
Etching
Letter A - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter A is an Etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le...
Etching
Letter V - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter V is an Etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le...
Etching
Letter V - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter V is an etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli artist of 18th century. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Expose...
Etching
Letter S - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter S is an etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli artist of 18th century. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (orig...
Etching
Letter U - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter A is an etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli artist of 18th century. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Antichit...
Etching
Letter A- Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter A is an Etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in 18th century. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (ori...
Etching
Letter U - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter U 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”)...
Etching
Letter S - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter S is an Etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in 18th century. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (ori...
Etching
Letter V - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter V is an Etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in 18th century. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (ori...
Etching
Letter L - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter L is an Etching realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in 18th century. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (ori...
Etching
Letter Q - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter Q 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”)...
Etching
Oil Lamp - Etching by Giuseppe Aloja - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Oil Lamp from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Giuseppe Aloja in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions...
Etching
Seascape with Monument and Figures - Etching by Luigi Aloja - 18th Century
By Luigi Aloja
Located in Roma, IT
Seascape With Monument and Figures is an Etching realized by Luigi Aloja (1783-1837). The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “L...
Etching
$348
Letter of the Alphabet L - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet L, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th centu...
Etching
Seascape with Monument and Figures- Etching by Luigi Aloja - 18th Century
By Luigi Aloja
Located in Roma, IT
Seascape With Monument and Figures is an Etching realized by Luigi Aloja (1783-1837). The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “L...
Etching
$232
Oil Lamp With Decoration - Etching by Niccolò Cesarano - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Oil Lamp With Decoration is an Etching realized by Niccolò Cesarano (1740-1815). The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Ant...
Etching
$348
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. The etching belon...
Etching
Roman Fresco - Etching by Nicola Fiorillo - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Roman Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Nicola Fiorillo in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions with some folding. The ...
Etching
Roman Fresco With Mythological Animals - Etching by F. Campana - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Roman Fresco With Mythological Animals from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Ferdinando Campana in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good condit...
Etching
Genesis 37 - Old Testament Story - Etching by Sisto Badalocchio - 1607
Located in Roma, IT
Genesis 37 - Old Testament Story is an Etching print realized by the artist Sisto Badalocchio. About The Old Testament Story, 1607 ca. Passpartout ...
Etching
Giosuè 6 - Old Testament Story - Etching by Giovanni Lanfranco - 1607s
Located in Roma, IT
Giosuè 6 - Old Testament Story is an Etching print realized by the artist Giovanni Lanfranco after Agostino Carracci. About The Old Testament Story, 1607 ca. Passpartout included ...
Etching
$325Sale Price|20% Off
Genesis 1 - Old Testament Story - Etching by Giovanni Lanfranco - 1607s
Located in Roma, IT
Genesis 1 - Old Testament Story is an Etching print realized by the artist Giovanni Lanfranco. About The Old Testament Story, 1607ca. Passpartout included 29 x 39 cm The artwork ...
Etching
Pompeian Fresco - Etching by Giuseppe Aloja - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Pompeian Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Giuseppe Aloja in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good con...
Etching
$301
Animals Pompeian Fresco - Etching by Aniello Cataneo - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Animals Pompeian Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Aniello Cataneo in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions. The etching...
Etching
$232
Letter of the Alphabet S - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet S, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Good conditions. The etching belon...
Etching
$232
Letter of the Alphabet Q - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet Q, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Good conditions. The etching belon...
Etching
$232
Letter of the Alphabet I - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet I, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Good conditions. The etching belon...
Etching
Pompeian Fresco - Etching by Filippo Morghen - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Pompeian Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Filippo Morghen in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions with slight folding. ...
Etching
Bird Fresco - Etching by Giuseppe Aloja - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Bird Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Giuseppe Aloja in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditi...
Etching
Roman Fresco - Etching by Carlo Oraty - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Roman Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Carlo Oraty in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions with some folding. The etch...
Etching
Roman Still Life Fresco - Etching by Carlo Oraty - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Roman Still Life Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Carlo Oraty in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions with some folding...
Etching
Decorative Wall Fresco - Etching by Filippo Morghen - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Decorative Wall Fresco from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Filippo Morghen in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Goo...
Etching
Letter of the Alphabet S - Etching - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet S, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Various Authors in the 18th century....
Etching
$232
Letter of the Alphabet V - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet V, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Good conditions with some folding. ...
Etching
$348
Letter of the Alphabet P - Etching by Luigi Vanvitelli - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Letter of the Alphabet P, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Good conditions with slight folding...
Etching