Three Strand Pearls With Gold Bow At Front
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
People Also Browsed
2010s Central Asian Models and Miniatures
Mahogany
Antique Early 1900s American Art Nouveau Table Lamps
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Windows
Stained Glass
20th Century English Neoclassical Dinner Plates
Porcelain
Antique Mid-19th Century British Victorian Tea Sets
Silver
Antique Late 18th Century Italian Rococo Beds and Bed Frames
Wood, Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Jade, 18k Gold, Bronze
Antique Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Sofas
Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Vases
Bronze, Ormolu
Antique 19th Century French Renaissance Buffets
Oak
Antique 19th Century French Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Grandfather Clocks and Longcase Cl...
Ormolu
Antique 19th Century French Neoclassical Busts
Terracotta
Antique 1870s French Renaissance Revival Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Arms, Armor and Weapons
Iron
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Neoclassical Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Carrara Marble
A Close Look at 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.