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.
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil, Canvas
19th Century Old Masters Art
Watercolor, Pencil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Paper
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Pen, Gouache, Watercolor, Ink, Paper
16th Century Old Masters Art
Ink, Paper, Pen
17th Century Old Masters Art
Wood
18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
1880s Old Masters Art
Etching, Aquatint
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
1630s Old Masters Art
Oil
Early 17th Century Old Masters Art
Cotton Canvas, Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Old Masters Art
Offset
17th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
1630s Old Masters Art
Etching
Early 19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Copper
18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
1850s Old Masters Art
Lithograph
1760s Old Masters Art
Etching
19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Pencil, Ink
Late 17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Early 18th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
16th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
Mid-19th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
1750s Old Masters Art
Etching
18th Century Old Masters Art
Laid Paper, Etching, Handmade Paper
18th Century Old Masters Art
Chalk
Early 17th Century Old Masters Art
Panel, Oil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
18th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
19th Century Old Masters Art
Oil
18th Century Old Masters Art
Pen, Ink
1740s Old Masters Art
Etching
15th Century and Earlier Old Masters Art
Wood Panel, Tempera
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Mezzotint
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
1780s Old Masters Art
Gouache, Paper
Early 2000s Old Masters Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
Early 17th Century Old Masters Art
Oil, Canvas
Late 17th Century Old Masters Art
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
1820s Old Masters Art
Etching
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
Early 1700s Old Masters Art
Oil, Canvas
Late 18th Century Old Masters Art
Etching
1790s Old Masters Art
Etching