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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
1800's French Neo Classical Old Master Chalk Drawing Roman Figures Court Scene
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Roman Court French School, circa 1780-1820 period pencil/charcoal/white chalk drawing on artist paper stamped with a name (either a collector or the artist) size: 18 x 24 inches ...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Chalk, Charcoal, Pencil

Fine 18th Century British Portrait of an Aristocratic Lady, Large oil painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Circle of Thomas Hudson (1701-1779) British. 18th Century Bust Portrait of a Lady, Oil on Canvas, Inscribed on a label verso, canvas: 30" x 25" (76.2 x 63.5cm). frame: 30 x 25 in...
Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

19th Century Italian Miniature Painting Christ Garden of Gethsemane Angels
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Italian School, late 19th century Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane miniature painting, framed framed: 3.5 x 3 inches image: 2.5 x 2 inches provenance: private collection, Italy con...
Category

Late 19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Watercolor

Putti Fighting Venice Tiziano 16th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master Italy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Tiziano Vecellio (Pieve di Cadore 1490 - Venice 1576) Workshop Putti fighting on the Ponte dei Pugni in Venice Venetian school, late 16th century Oil on canvas 105 x 144 cm -...
Category

16th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

17th Century By Giovanni Battista Spinelli Jacob's dream Oil on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Giovanni Battista Spinelli (Chieti, Italy, 1613 - Ortona, Italy, 1647) Title: Jacob's dream Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 98 x 135 cm - with frame 108 x 145 cm Expertise by Professor Nicola Spinosa Publications: From Sacro to Profano. The Giorgio...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Venus Lamenting over the Death of Adonis
Located in Middletown, NY
c. 1654. Etching with engraving on thin laid paper with an early and large unidentified watermark with a sundial and a many-pointed star, and an unidentified collector's stamp in the...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Handmade Paper, Engraving, Etching

Portrait of a lady in widow’s weeds, seated in an architectural setting
Located in Maidenhead, GB
Charles d’Agar (1669-1723) (attrib.) Portrait of a lady in widow’s weeds, three-quarter-length, seated in an architectural setting Oil on canvas In an original carved and gilded Le...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Huge Old Master Oil Painting 17th century Diana & Cupids in Panoramic Landscape
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Diana The Huntress and her Cherubs Northern European artist, circa 1680's period oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 20 x 60.5 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: some p...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Studies for the Judgment of Solomon, a double-sided drawing by Simone Cantarini
Located in PARIS, FR
In this double-sided red chalk study, Simone Cantarini offers us a double reflection on the theme of the Judgment of Solomon. This sheet reveals his precise style and his sense of de...
Category

1640s Old Masters Art

Materials

Chalk, Laid Paper

Men Fraternizing with Ladies, Pre-20th Cen Oil Painting by Wilfrid Beauquesne
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Wilfrid Constant Beauquesne, French (1840 - 1913) Title: Men Fraternizing with the Ladies Year: c. 1890 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.l. Size: 21.5 x 26 in. (54.61 x 66.04 ...
Category

1890s Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th century portrait of the artist’s daughter, Catharina, playing the cello
By Balthasar Denner
Located in Bath, Somerset
The sitter, seated in a yellow silk gown trimmed with a pink bow playing the cello, is believed to be the artist Balthazar Denner's eldest daughter Catharina (1715-1744), after his marriage to Esther Winter in Hamburg in 1712. She is also recognisable in another portrait of the Denner family in the Hamburg Kunsthalle, painted circa 1740 by the artist's son, Jacob Denner (1722-1765). Oil on canvas in a period giltwood frame. Provenance: Private collection, Northern Germany Professor Helmut Borsch-Supan, Berlin, confirmed the authenticity of the painting after examining it in 2013. The painting will also be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonnée of the artist, by Ute Mannhardt. Balthasar Denner...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

17th Century Flemish Old Master Oil on Panel Cavalry Skirmish Soldiers & Horses
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Cavalry Skirmish Flemish School, mid 17th century circle of Lambert de Hondt (Flemish, 1620-1665) oil on panel, framed Framed: 21 x 27 inches Board: 16 x 22 inches Provenance: private collection, France Condition: very good condition, with old repairs and thinning in places. This painting, attributed to the circle of Lambert de Hondt (Flemish, 17th century), depicts an intense battle scene, typical of Flemish military compositions of the time. Lambert de Hondt was known for his battle scenes, landscapes, and hunting scenes, often filled with dynamic action and fine detail, and this work clearly reflects his influence. The artwork portrays a cavalry skirmish with soldiers in traditional 17th-century military dress, including red tunics...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait Philip V King Rigaud Paint Oil on canvas 17/18th Century Old master Art
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Hyacinthe Rigaud (Perpignan 1659 - Paris 1743) Circle Portrait of Philip V, King of Spain (Versailles 1683 - Madrid 1746) Oil on canvas 72 x 59 cm - framed 87 x 74 cm. The painting examined here, depicting King Philip V of Spain (Perpignan 1659 - Paris 1743), is to be placed in the circle of the painter Hyacinthe Rigaud (Perpignan 1659 - Paris 1743), one of the most significant portrait painters of his time and a great interpreter of the French school. This is a work of excellent pictorial quality: note the rendering of the facial features and the sharpness of the contours emphasised by the light. The face is characterised by chiaroscuro passages that verisimilarly reproduce light and its effects, rendered with great skill. Philip V wears a black satin costume with a sword at his side, he wears the stiff white Spanish collar and at the same time wears the blue sash of the Order of the Holy Spirit and the collar of the Habsburg Order of the Golden Fleece: this bringing together of the two main orders of France and Spain announced the possibility of a union between the two crowns. In Spanish costume, this effigy is nevertheless fully in line with the French tradition of ceremonial portraiture, also testifying to the renewal that Rigaud had brought about, particularly through the relationship between the character and the splendour of the decoration. The work is inspired, reworked in a reduced format to make it suitable for a private clientele, by the large painting that Rigaud made for the sovereign around 1700, today conserved in the Louvre, reproduced by the same workshop in numerous other versions. The account books...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Fine Spanish Old Master style Oil Painting Flowers in Ornate Vase
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Classical Still Life of Flowers Studio of Miguel Canals, Spanish 1925-1995 stamped with the studio mark verso oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 23.5 x 18 inches Provenance: private col...
Category

20th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

19th century oil painting Highland Pony and Retriever, Robert cleminson
Located in York, GB
19th century oil painting Highland Pony and Retriever, Robert cleminson. A fine painting depicting a Highland Pony and Retriever, with the days bag. An oil on canvas, signed lowe...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Fine Italian 17th Century Oil on Canvas Head of Jesus Christ Crowned with Thorns
By (circle of) Pierre Mignard
Located in LA, CA
A very fine Italian 17th century oval oil on canvas "Head of Christ Crowned with Thorns" Circle of Pierre Mignard (French, 1612-1695) within...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Wood

Ruins of the Roman Baths of Belisarius: A 19th C. Etching by Luigi Rossini
Located in Alamo, CA
This early 19th century etching entitled "Veduta degl' Avanzi delle Torri di Belisario Dalla parte che guarda l' Interno della Città, vicino a Porta S. Giovanni, A. Mura Aureliane" (...
Category

1820s Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Portrait of a Gentleman in Doublet & Ruff c.1595; Elizabethan oil on copper
Located in London, GB
Portrait of an Elizabethan Gentleman in a Black Doublet c.1595 Manner of Hieronimo Custodis (died c.1593) Oil on copper Unsigned This exquisite oil on copper portrait, painted around 430 years ago, is a splendid survival from the Elizabethan era - the golden age in England’s history, when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne. It is a time that is sandwiched between two golden ages of English renaissance culture, the reigns of Henry VIII and Charles I. This period produced a style of painting quite unlike that anywhere else in Europe and one that deserves serious assessment. Just a couple of years after our portrait was painted, English painting developed on another course, driven mainly by the artists Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger and Isaac Oliver; they depicted a new mood that was pervading Elizabethan and Jacobean society, which was that of romantic melancholy. Elizabethan painting...
Category

16th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Copper

Tri-Directional Portrait Commemorating the Russo-Turkish War
Located in New Orleans, LA
Austrian School 18th Century Tri-Directional Portrait Commemorating the Russo-Turkish War Oil on wooden strips This extraordinary tri-directional portrait exemplifies the rare innovation known as a triscenorama, capturing a pivotal diplomatic moment through ingenious artistic technique. Employing triangularly cut wooden strips, this remarkable work simultaneously depicts three imperial figures central to the Russo-Turkish War of 1735-1739: Empress Anna Ivanovna Romanova of Russia when viewed directly, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI from the left and Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I from the right, commemorating the Treaty of Nissa that concluded this significant European conflict. The portrait utilizes an exceptionally rare optical technique that predates modern movable imaging technology. When observed from different angles, the painted triangular wooden strips create a transformative effect, revealing entirely different imperial portraits as the viewer shifts position. The precision required to execute such a work demonstrates remarkable technical mastery, as the artist had to conceptualize three distinct portraits as well as the meticulous arrangement of the panels. This sophisticated manipulation of perspective creates an interactive viewing experience considered revolutionary for its time. Almost certainly created by an Austrian artist, this diplomatic artwork likely served as a commemorative piece marking the Treaty of Nissa, signed in September 1739. The treaty concluded Russia's ambitious campaign to secure access to the Black Sea while countering Ottoman raids in Ukraine and the Caucasus regions. Given its exceptional quality and historical significance, this portrait was possibly commissioned by Emperor Charles VI himself, potentially serving as a diplomatic gift to either Empress Anna or Sultan Mahmud I during the treaty negotiations. Under Empress Anna's leadership, Russia sought to counter devastating raids from Ottoman allies, particularly the Crimean Tatars...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Wood, Oil, Wood Panel

17th Century by Andrea Pozzo Christ in the house of Simon the Pharisee
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Andrea Pozzo (Trento, Italy, 1642 – Vienna, Austria, 1709) Title: Christ in the house of Simon the Pharisee Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 88 x 128.5 cm - with frame...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

17th century etching animal print sketch ram sheep black and white signed
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Two Rams Looking Down & To Their Left" is an original etching by Karel DuJardin. DuJardin completed many delicate etchings of rams. 3 3/4" x 7 3/4" art 16 3/8" x 19 1/2" frame Du Jardin was a master of various genres of painting, including refined and tranquil Italianising landscapes, monumental historical paintings and superb portraits of the aristocracy. Unlike the majority of his contemporaries, Karel du Jardin (b. Amsterdam 1626, d. Venice 1678) was a talented painter in not one, but many different genres. He is especially famous for his small-scale landscapes, such as the charming Italian landscape with a woman milking a goa" (1652) from the Rijksmuseum's collection. Du Jardin depicted both sun-filled Italianate scenes and Dutch farmyards with pigs and sheep. He also painted a range of elegant portraits of aristocrats and merchants. His self-portrait (1662) on copper is one of the most fascinating 17th-century portraits of a Dutch artist. Du Jardin's spectacular large-scale historical pieces, represented is the show by the impressive Conversion of Saint Pau" (1662) from the collection of the National Gallery of London, are among his most remarkable achievements; he often chose themes that were only rarely depicted by other Dutch painters of the period. During his own lifetime Du Jardin was praised by poets and writers, particularly for his attention to detail and elegant painting technique. As Cornelis de Bie, the artist’s biographer, wrote in 1661: "the surety of the brush at his finger and such sharpe clarity […] that the eye thereon doth linger." Du Jardin's valuable paintings were mainly purchased by rich individuals with an eye for elegance, but were also commissioned by prominent institutions such as the Amsterdam 'Spinhuis' (a women's prison), for whom he painted a vast group portrait of the prison-governors. Karel du Jardin was an artist who liked to travel. He lived for a time in Lyon and in Paris, and sailed with Joan Reynst, Heer van Drakestein, by ship via England, Portugal and Spain to Tangier and Algiers, where they met Michiel de Ruyter...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Animated harbor scene
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas Black wooden frame 71 x 91 x 3 cm
Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Outstanding 18' century Paintings The Wedding Feast of Bacchus and Ariadne
Located in Rome, IT
Pair of large painting oil on canvas with the Wedding Feast of Bacchus and Ariadne scene . Italy 18' century . Amazing landscape background and roman Temple with classical archite...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Gentleman with his Dog - Possibly Abraham Tucker. Oil on Canvas
Located in St. Albans, GB
Enoch Seeman - 1894 - 1744 An excellent example of Seeman's work. It is typically unsigned as was the case of many portraits of that time. A three quarter length portrait showing a r...
Category

1730s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

18th century allegorical painting of The Triumph of Beauty
Located in London, GB
Exhibited: London, Royal Academy, 1800, no. 93 What was happening in British history painting in around 1800? In recent discussions of the emergence of a British School of history painting following the foundation of the Royal Academy in 1768, this is a question which is rarely posed and one which is not easily answered. Examination of surviving Royal Academy exhibition catalogues reveals a profusion of artists’ names and titles, few of which remain immediately recognizable, whilst endeavours to explain the impact of exhibition culture on painting - such as the 2001 Courtauld show Art on the Line - have tended to focus on the first and second generation of Royal Academician, rather than young or aspiring artists in the early nineteenth century. This makes the discovery and identification of the work under discussion of exceptional importance in making sense of currents in English painting around 1800. Executed by Edward Dayes...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still Life of Flowers in Ornamental Urn on Ledge - Dutch Old Master oil painting
Located in London, GB
This superb vibrant Dutch 18th century Old Master floral oil painting is attributed to circle of Gerard Van Spaendonck. Painted circa 1790, it is a beautiful mixed floral still life flower arrangement in an ornate urn on a marble ledge against a landscape. The flowers include roses, tulips, blue iris and trailing blue morning glory. The carved ornate grey/blue urn on the cream marble ledge create a strong textural contrast with the soft petals and leaves. This is a wonderful example of Dutch 18th century floral oil paintings with fine detail and brushwork. Provenance. Private Collection, UK (by descent). Condition. Oil on canvas, 30 inches by 25 inches unframed and in good condition. Frame. Housed in an ebonised frame, 39 by 34 inches framed and in good condition. Gerard van Spaendonck (1746-1822) was a Dutch painter. Gerard was born in Tilburg, an older brother of Cornelis van Spaendonck...
Category

1790s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Classical Landscape - French 17th century art Old Master oil painting
Located in London, GB
This superb 17th century French Old Master oil painting is attributed to Jean Francois Millet. Painted circa 1670 it is a classical landscape with figures by a bend in a river in the...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Still Life with Flowers in a Vase
Located in Atlanta, GA
Painted in the style of the 17th century Dutch painter Alexander Andrienssen, this painting is of a glass vase on a wood surface filled with flowers. The artist's careful attention ...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Portrait of a Cleric - British 18th century art Old Master oil painting
By Joseph Highmore
Located in London, GB
This fantastic portrait oil painting is attributed to British Old Master Joseph Highmore and was painted in 1770. The half length standing portrait is of a Cleric, dressed in his wig...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, a painting by Carlo Francesco Nuvolone
Located in PARIS, FR
This painting by Carlo Francesco Nuvolone, the great Lombard master of the mid-seventeenth century, is striking for its dazzling composition and the brilliant colors of Christ's tuni...
Category

1640s Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Venere e Amore sui Delfini (Venus and Cupid on Dolphins) /// Old Masters Raphael
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Marco Dente da Ravenna (Italian, 1493-1527) Title: "Venere e Amore sui Delfini (Venus and Cupid on Dolphins)" *Monogram signed by Dente in the plate (printed signature) lower left Circa: 1515-1520 (second state of three) Medium: Original Engraving on laid paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Unknown Publisher: Antonio Salamanca, Rome, Italy Reference: Bartsch XIV, page 244, No. 324; Passavant VI, page 69, No. 32; Le Blanc, II, page 111, No. 16; Imolesi Pozzi pages 71-72, 113, No. 10 Framing: Recently beautifully framed, the sheet is museum mounted, floated over a 100% cotton rag mat in a modern gold moulding and Museum glass Framed size: 16.88" x 13.07" Sheet size: 10.63" x 6.94" Condition: Thread margins. A strong impression in excellent condition Very rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - Périgueux, France. This work is also sometimes referred to as "Venus and Cupid riding two sea monsters, Cupid raises an arrow in his right hand, two heads representing wind in the clouds above". The engraver's monogram "SR" lower left. Published by Antonio Salamanca (1478-1562) in Rome, Italy with his address printed lower right: "Ant. Sal. Exc.". No watermark found. This engraving is after a drawing by Italian artist Raphael aka Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520). "This engraving by Marco Dente is after a design by Raphael, now lost, used by Giulio Romano for his fresco on the south wall of the Stufetta of cardinal Bibbiena - a small room in the Apostolic Palace, at the Vatican, that originally served as a washroom for the cardinal. The engraving differs from the fresco in some details, such as the cityscape in the background and the two winds above, which may indicate that these elements were present in Raphael's drawing. " - Christie's, London Biography: Marco Dente da Ravenna (1493–1527), usually just called Marco Dente, was an Italian engraver born in Ravenna in the latter part of the 15th Century. He was a prominent figure within the circle of printmakers around Marcantonio Raimondi...
Category

16th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Intaglio, Laid Paper, Engraving

17th century English portrait of a lady
Located in Bath, Somerset
Miss Ada Gossett, circa 1673, half-length in a landscape at dusk, wearing an amber silk gown adorned with a gold trimmed gauze shawl and fine jewels, wearing a pearl necklace, her fa...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

La Descente de Croix Aux Flambeaux, Old Masters Etching by Rembrandt van Rijn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn, After by Amand Durand, Dutch (1606 - 1669) - La Descente de Croix Aux Flambeaux (B280), Year: 1878 (of original 1654), Medium: Heliogravure, Size: 8.25 ...
Category

Late 19th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Portrait Alchemist Hermes Flemish School 17th Century Oil on table Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Flemish Mannerist painter Early 17th century Portrait of Hermes Trismegistus (Egyptian alchemist who lived in the 13th century BC) Oil on panel 41 x 33 cm In antique frame 51 x 43 cm The work belongs to a series of three paintings, together with portraits of the alchemists Geber and Morieno Romano The painting depicts an alchemist, an ancient figure who has always been shrouded in fascination and mystery due to his perfect blend of science and esotericism, who sought to achieve omniscience, or the highest level of knowledge in all fields of learning. Among the great goals of alchemy was the search for the elixir of eternal life or the transformation of base metals into gold, a practice that was believed to be achievable through the “philosopher's stone”. The alchemist, with his secret practices and knowledge, is therefore a figure described as straddling the line between scholar and magician, capable of extraordinary transformations, well represented here by a Flemish Mannerist painter active between the 16th and 17th centuries. In our case, it is, in particular, the portrait of Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary figure from the Hellenistic age, sometimes considered a deity (identified by the Greeks with the Egyptian god Thoth) and sometimes a man, considered the founder of alchemy and the master of all occult sciences, as well as of the philosophical current known as Hermeticism. Venerated as a master of wisdom, he is believed to be the author of the “Corpus Hermeticum”, a collection of writings, mainly in Greek, containing philosophical, theological and magical teachings, considered to originate from ancient wisdom. The alchemist holds an unrolled parchment in his hand, on which we can read the phrase “quod est superius est sicut quod inferius et quod inferius est sicut quod est superius”, taken from the Emerald Tablet...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

17th Century Italian Old Master Oil Painting Moses Striking Water from the Rock
By Pier (Pietro) Dandini
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Moses Striking Water from the Rock; Circle of Pietro Dandini, Italian 1646-1712 Italian School, late 17th century oil on canvas, framed framed: 3...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Lady with Pink Bow - British c 1820 Old Master art oil painting
By Sir Thomas Lawrence
Located in London, GB
This lovely British Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to circle of Sir Thomas Lawrence. Painted circa 1820 it is a seated half length portrait of a beautiful lady in a b...
Category

1820s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Ghisolfi Portrait Old master Oil on canvas17th Century Architecture Italy Art
By Giovani Ghisolfi (Milan 1623-1683)
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Giovani Ghisolfi (Milan 1623-1683), attributed / workshop View of classical architectural ruins with Pythagoras pretending to return from Hades Oil on canvas, cm. 70 x 84 In frame c...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Judith with the Head of Holofernes, Antique Oil Painting after Cristofano Allori
By Alessandro di Cristofano Allori
Located in Berlin, DE
Judith with the head of Holofernes, antique oil painting after Cristofano Allori. Painting has been restored. Dimensions without f...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Eighteenth-century Grand Tour marble bust of Faustina the Younger
Located in London, GB
Signed and dated: ‘F. Harwood Fecit 1764’ Collections: Probably commissioned by Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon (1743-1827); Probably by descent at Gordon Castle, Banffshire to c.1948; Possibly acquired by Bert Crowther of Syon Lodge, Middlesex; Jacques Hollander (1940-2004); Christie’s, 5 December 2013, lot 101; Private collection; Sotheby’s, 2 July 2019, lot 106 Literature: John Preston Neale, Views of the seats of noblemen and gentlemen, in England, Wales and Scotland, London, 1822, vol.I, unpaginated. This marble copy of an ancient bust in the Musei Capitolini usually identified as Faustina the Younger, the daughter of Antoninus Pius and future wife of Marcus Aurelius, was made in Florence by Francis Harwood in 1764. Harwood was one of the most prolific suppliers of decorative marbles for the Grand Tour market and this finely worked example demonstrates the quality of luxury goods available to travellers to Italy. So often anonymous, this unusually signed and dated example, raises questions about the status of marble copies in the period and of sculptors such as Harwood who are known principally for ornamental work. Harwood’s origins remain obscure. He is documented living in Palazzo Zuccari with Joshua Reynolds and the Irish sculptor Simon Vierpyl at Easter 1752, he had certainly settled permanently in Florence by the following year, when he is recorded working with Joseph Wilton. He was admitted to the Florentine Academy on 12 January 1755 (as pittore Inglese, although he was described as scultore in the matriculation account). After Wilson returned to England in 1755 Harwood appears to have worked in a studio near SS. Annunziata with Giovanni Battista Piamontini who had made life-size copies of The Wrestlers and The Listening Slave for Joseph Leeson in 1754. In 1758 both sculptors were contracted to make a statue and a trophy to complete the decoration of the Porta San Gallo, Harwood completing a statue of Equality, installed the following year. By 1760 Harwood was on the brink of his most productive period as a sculptor, producing copies of celebrated antiquities for the ever-increasing audience of Grand Tour travellers and for the domestic market in London. In 1761 Harwood met the young architect James Adam who was in Italy specifically to make contact with suppliers for Robert Adam’s burgeoning practice back in Britain. The Adams offered a remarkably cohesive design package to their clients, encompassing not just architecture, but fixtures, fittings and furniture as well. Harwood was able to supply the brothers with marbles for their new interiors. At Syon, for example, Harwood produced a full-size copy of Michelangelo’s Bacchus for the new dining room the Adams had designed for Hugh Smythson, 1st Duke of Northumberland. Harwood seems to have also specialised in producing sets of library busts. In 1758 Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton, a distinguished traveller commissioned a set of busts which remain in situ at Castle Ashby in Northamptonshire. It is perhaps no coincidence that the Adam brothers were producing designs for new interiors at Castle Ashby at this date. The set included representations of: Cicero, Julius Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Faustina the Younger, Sappho, Seneca and Homer. Each of these busts Harwood seems to have replicated for multiple patrons, another Adam patron, Thomas Dundas...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Marble

Veduta Generale del Tempio della Sibilla... - by L. Rossini - 1824
Located in Roma, IT
Veduta Generale del Tempio della Sibilla, e Ponte della Cascata di Tivoli Image dimensions: 61x45 cm. From the series “Le antichità de’ contorni di Roma (...)” an artist's proof with...
Category

1820s Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching

Baroque Italian painter - Set of four 18th century figure paintings - Evangelist
Located in Varmo, IT
Italian painter (early 18th century) - Four Evangelists. 25.5 x 19 cm without frame, 29 x 22.5 cm with frame. Ancient oil painting on panel. in wooden frames (not signed). Conditi...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Flowers Still-life Scacciati 17th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Andrea Scacciati (Florence 1642-1710) Composition of flowers within embossed vase (1 of 3) oil on canvas 130 x 90 cm In antique frame 145 x 105 cm. Work with expertise by Prof. Emi...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Saint Catherine Portrair Guido Reni Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Guido Reni (Bologna 1575 - 1642) Workshop of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (full details LINK) Oil on canvas Measurements (cm): 96 x 73 - with frame 112 x 88 This splendid work dep...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of the French Princess, late 17th c. French school
Located in PARIS, FR
Portrait of the Princess of Conti - Attributed to Louis Ferdinand Elle the Younger (1648-1717) Late 17th century French school Oil on canvas, h. 100 cm, l. 80 cm Important Louis XIV ...
Category

Late 17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Saint Mary Magdalene The Penitent
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Nicolas LOIR (Paris, 1624 – 1679) Penitent Saint Mary Magdalene Oil on canvas, 58 x 71 cm Unsigned Circa 1665–1675 Trained under Simon Vouet and later Sébastien Bourdon, Nicolas ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Winter Landscape Utrecht Saftleven 17/18th Century Paint Oil on canvas Flemish
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Herman Saftleven the Elder (Rotterdam 1609 - Utrecht 1685) workshop Winter Landscape with the City of Utrecht Oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm. - framed 105 x 91 cm. The painting depicts a...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Holy Family Giovannino Bronzino Paint Oil on table 16th Century Old master Italy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Agnolo di Cosimo, known as 'il Bronzino' (Monticelli of Florence, 1503 – Florence, 1572) The Holy Family with San Giovannino Oil on table (120 x 90cm. - I...
Category

16th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Still Life of Flowers and fruit - Dutch Old Master c1700 floral art oil painting
Located in London, GB
This superb Dutch Old Master floral still life oil painting is attributed to circle of Simon Pietersz Verelst. Painted circa 1700 the compositio...
Category

Early 1700s Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

The Torture of Saint Concordia
By Domenico Piola the Elder
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Circle of Domenico Piola (Genoa 1627 – 1703) The Torture of Saint Concordia Black chalk, brown ink and brown wash on two sheets of paper, 40.5 x 42 cm Unsigned Provenance: Estate...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Ink

Vatican Hallway designed by Raphael: 18th C. Hand-colored Engraving by Volpato
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 18th century hand-colored copper-plate engraving by Giovanni Volpato after a drawing by Camporesi. It was the frontispiece for volume one of the rare and valuable...
Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Engraving

Ancient Roman Architecture: Original Framed 18th C. Etching by G. Piranesi
Located in Alamo, CA
"Veduta del Sepolcro della Famiglia Plauzia per la Strada Che Conduce da Roma a Tivoli vicino a Ponte Lugano" from "Le Antichità Romane" (Roman Antiquities), one of the most famous works by Piranesi. "Antichita" illustrates the tombs along the Appian Way...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Etching, Engraving, Drypoint

1700's French Old Master Oil Painting The Penitent Magdalene in the Wilderness
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Penitent Magdalene French School, 18th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 33 x 21.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound condition, ...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Peasants in a Cornfield (Boer in het veld) by David Teniers the Younger
By David Teniers the Younger
Located in Stockholm, SE
Remembering the magic of everyday life moments in the art of David Teniers: The art of David Teniers the Younger (1610–1690) coincided with the heyday of the Flemish Baroque and captured a great variety of motifs of his time. In this painting of a seemingly simple peasant scene lies keys to understanding both the imaginative mind of Teniers as well as why this time period produced some of the most iconic works in all of art history.  As indicated by the name, Teniers was more or less born into his profession. As the son of David Teniers the elder, himself a painter who studied under Rubens, the younger David received training in art from a very young age and had no less than three brothers who also became painters. Because of his father’s frequent financial failures that even at times saw him imprisoned, David the younger helped to rescue the family from ruin through painting copies of old masters. Essentially, the young Teniers was confronted with painting as both a passion and creative expression as well as a necessity during difficult times, an experience that would shape much of his capacity and sensitivity in his coming life. Despite the hardships, the talent and determination of Teniers was recognized and quickly expanded his possibilities. He had already spent time in France and possibly also England when he was hired by his father’s former teacher Rubens to help with a prestigious commission with mythological paintings, now considered lost, for Philip IV the king Spain. In 1644–54 Teniers was appointed dean of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke, manifesting his esteemed position within the artistic community. A few years afterwards he took an important step when relocating to Brussels, where Teniers yet again found new career opportunities that would prove to be very successful. As the keeper of the collections of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, a role similar to what we now refer to as an art advisor, Teniers purchased hundreds of important artworks that manifested the prominent status of the Archduke’s collection while at the same time providing an unusual access to inspiration and knowledge for Teniers himself. Since he kept on painting during the same time, his creative scope must have seemed almost bewildering in the great variety of images and stories that he surrounded himself with.  Regardless of how glamorous and culturally stimulating the career of Teniers was, he was as open to the charm and existential importance of everyday life as he was to works of great masters and luxurious collectibles. In his impressive repertoire of genres with everything from exquisite royal portraits, interiors, landscapes and history paintings he always added something new and inventive, highlighting the possibilities of art and importance of an experimental and intuitive mind. It is difficult to single out one aspect or genre to summarize his legacy, since it lies much more in the broad virtuosity across many motifs, although he is particularly remembered for farm scenes and meticulously depicted interiors where other paintings and artworks are captured with an astonishing precision. However, the fact that he is still today one of the most known and celebrated names of the Dutch Golden Age is a proof to the magic of his work, which continues to spark dialogue and wonder in the contemporary viewer of his works. The farm boy in the field in this painting, which likely dates to the mature part of his career, is a wonderful entry into the mind of Teniers. In the tightly cropped motif, we see him standing right in the middle of the busy harvest when men, women and everyone capable were sent out in the field to collect the crop that formed the very core of their diet and survival. In the background we see a fresh blue sky interspersed with skillfully painted clouds, some trees reaching their autumnal colours and in the far distance the glimpse of a small church and village. The presence of a church in a landscape, so typical of Dutch art, served both a symbolic and visual function as a representation of faith while at the same time defining scale and distance. In the field, the work is in full action with the farmers spread out in various positions, all in the midst of hard and sweaty labour. While they are portrayed as having nothing else than the work on their mind, our farm boy seems to have his attention directed elsewhere. Standing there with his white, half open shirt, flowy curls and strong, sturdy body; his gaze is directed away, out of the picture and the scythes in his hands. He looks almost smirking, expressed with tremendous subtlety in the slight smile of his lips and big eyes, being just in the middle of losing focus on the work. What is it that steals his attention? What has he seen, or realized, or felt – to break him free of the arduous task of harvesting, if but for a moment? Here starts the wondering and the questions that are the hallmark of a great piece of art. Instead of explicitly locking in the motif in overly clear symbolism Teniers has chosen an open ended, subtle yet striking moment for us to consider. While it of course can be related to numerous other farm scene depictions of this time, and clever usages of gazes and real-life scenes to underscore various moral or symbolic meanings, the painting can be much more of a contemplation than an explanation or illustration. The ordinary nature and understated yet emotionally textured composition of the motif gives greater space for our own reactions and thoughts. Has he seen a pretty farm girl just passing by? Is he fed up with the farm life, joyously dreaming away for a minute, imagining another future? Or is he simply in need of distraction, looking away and ready for anything that can steal his attention? One quality that never seem to have escaped Teniers was that of curiosity. During all of his career he constantly investigated, expanded and experimented with not only the style and technique of painting, but with the vision of art itself. Being credited with more or less introducing farm motifs for a broader audience not only tells us of his ability to understand the demand for different motifs, but the sensitivity to transform seemingly ordinary parts of life into deep aesthetic experiences, far beyond their expected reach. The farm boy in this painting is, of course, exactly that. But with the help of one smirk the entire picture is charged with a different energy, awakening many contrasts and relationships between the calm landscape, the hard work and his own breach of effectivity, holding sharp scythes while thinking or seeing something else. It is no wonder Teniers chose to work with farm scenes as a way of investigating these intricate and delicate plays on expectations and surprises, clarity and ambivalence. It invites us to an appreciation of human everyday life that connects us with the people of 17th century...
Category

Late 17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fine British Aristocratic Portrait of a Nobleman Lord Jeffreys of Wem
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of Lord Jeffreys of Wem British School, 20th century (presumably after an earlier work) oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 30.5 x 24.5 inches canvas: 26 x 20 inches prov...
Category

20th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Hieronymus FRANCKEN III - The Denial of Saint Peter, 17th c. Antwerp school
Located in PARIS, FR
Hieronymus FRANCKEN III (Antwerp 1611 - 1671) 17th century Antwerp School The Denial of Saint Peter Oil on panel, dim. h. 53 cm, l. 76 cm Framed, h. 82 cm, l. 106 cm Sold with the ...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Classical Still Life Study Of Flowers in Vase Elaborate Grand Gilt Frame
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Rima (English, 20th century) *see notes below signed oil on board, unframed board: 31 x 24 inches provenance: UK collection The painting has some scuffs and scratches but is essentia...
Category

20th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Annunciation De Matteis Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17/18th Century Leonardo
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
The Annunciation Circle of Paolo De Matteis (Piano Vetrale, 1662 - Naples, 1728) oil painting on canvas (106 x 90 cm - with frame 118 x 103 cm.) The work,...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil

Mid 17th Century British Old Master Oil Painting Portrait of Man in Flemish City
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of Thomas Collard (rector of Withycombe, Somerset 1670-1691) the city depicted in the distance is thought to be Antwerp. the portrait historically has been thought to be fr...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Portrait of an Old Bearded Man
Located in Stockholm, SE
We are pleased to offer a captivating portrait, most likely painted in the late 18th century, attributed to an artist within the circle of Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich. This oil ...
Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

17th Century By Guidotti aka Cavalier Borghese Salomé and the Baptist Oil/canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Cavaliere Paolo Guidotti, also known as il Cavalier Borghese (Lucca, Italy, 1559 - 1629) Title: Salomé and the Baptist Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 90 x 68.5 cm -...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

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.

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