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Old Masters Art

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.

Find a collection of Old Masters prints, paintings, drawings and watercolors and other art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Old Masters
Oil Lamp - Etching by Aniello Cataneo - 18th Century

Oil Lamp - Etching by Aniello Cataneo - 18th Century

Located in Roma, IT

Oil Lamp is an Etching realized by Aniello Cataneo (1732-1805). The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Antichità di Ercolan...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Oil Lamp - Etching by Aniello Cataneo - 18th Century

Oil Lamp - Etching by Aniello Cataneo - 18th Century

Located in Roma, IT

Oil Lamp is an Etching realized by Aniello Cataneo (1732-1805). Good conditions. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le An...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Oil Lamp With Heads of Animals - Etching by Filippo de Grado - 18th Century

Oil Lamp With Heads of Animals - Etching by Filippo de Grado - 18th Century

By Filippo de Grado

Located in Roma, IT

Oil Lamp With Heads of Animals from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Filippo De Grado in the 18th Century. Signed on the plate. Good conditions. The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Antichità di Ercolano Esposte”), an eight-volume volume of engravings of the finds from the excavation of the ruins of Herculaneum in the Kingdom of Naples (now Campania, Italy). It was published between 1757 and 1792 by the Regia Stamperia, and copies were delivered to selected recipients across Europe. Despite the title, the Antiquity of Herculaneum shows objects from all the excavations undertaken by the Bourbons in the Gulf of Naples. These include Pompeii, Stabia and two sites of Herculaneum: Resina and Portici. The Bourbon King Carlo appointed fifteen scholars creating a new “Herculaneum Academy” to study the artifacts and publish the results of the archaeological excavations of the sites. The engravings are of high quality and the accompanying text shows a large scholarship. They were realized by 25 prominent artists involved by the King to prepare drawings and engravings on the finds, among which we can find Giovanni Elia Morghen, Carlo Nolli, Luigi Vanvitelli, and Giovanni Battista Casanova. The “Antiquities” was designed more to amaze readers with the quality of the objects in the collection of the King of Naples than to be used in research., following and increasing the interest of 18th-century society for the classical culture and Art in particular. Through the exaltation of the classical concept of proportions and harmony, the book was of inspiration to the neoclassical movement in Europe, giving artists and decorators access to a huge shop of Hellenistic motifs.Oil Lamp With Animals...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Oil Lamp - Etching by Aniello Cataneo - 18th Century

Oil Lamp - Etching by Aniello Cataneo - 18th Century

Located in Roma, IT

Oil Lamp is an Etching realized by Aniello Cataneo (1732-1805). The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Antichità di Ercolan...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Oil Lamp - Etching by Aniello Cataneo - 18th Century

Oil Lamp - Etching by Aniello Cataneo - 18th Century

Located in Roma, IT

Oil Lamp is an Etching realized by Niccolò Vanni (1750-1770). The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Antichità di Ercolano...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

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.