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Old Masters Portrait Paintings

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
View Rome St John Van Lint Landscape 18th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Giovanni Giacomo Van Lint (Rome 1723 - 1790) Attributed View of Rome with the Basilica of St. John Lateran (for full details, click HERE) Oil on canvas 50 x 62 cm - in frame 61 ...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

17th Century portrait oil painting of a gentleman
By John Riley
Located in Nr Broadway, Worcestershire
Circle of John Riley British, (1646-1691) Portrait of a Gentleman Oil on canvas Image size: 29 inches x 24 inches Size including frame: 36 inches x 31 inch...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A Guardian Angel and a Child
Located in New York, NY
Provenance: Cornelius Vanderbilt, New York; by whom gifted in 1880 to: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (80.3.673); deaccessioned and sold: Christie’s, New York, 12 June 19...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Terracotta, Gesso

18th Century portrait oil painting of a girl with an orange
By Robert Byng
Located in Nr Broadway, Worcestershire
Circle of Robert Byng British, (1666-1720) Girl with Orange Oil on canvas Image size: 29 inches x 24 inches Size including frame: 36 inches x 31 inc...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Lady, After Sir Peter Lely (1610-1680) Oil Painting
By After Sir Peter Lely
Located in Uppingham, GB
Oil Painting After Sir Peter Lely (1610-1680) Portrait of a Lady Housed in a Lely gold Leaf Frame. Peter Lely: In 1647 he became a member of the Pain...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Conrad Friedrich Hurlebusch, Early 18th Century Oil Painting
By Dominicus van der Smissen
Located in London, GB
Dominicus van der Smissen Early 18th Century Portrait of Conrad Friedrich Hurlebusch Oil on canvas Image size: 20½ x 16¼ inches Period gilt frame This is a portrait of Conrad Friedrich Hurlebusch, composer, Kapellmeister and organist, whom Van der Smissen most probably portrayed during his stay in Hamburg, Brunswick or Amsterdam. The identification is based on the reproduction of the portrait which was engraved by Pieter Anthony Wakkerdak (1740- 1774). Van der Smissen has reduced the face of the sitters to an egg-shaped oval in three-quarter view, applying diminution to one half of the figure’s torso, which is farther away from the viewer. This partial side view, with the head turned to look at the viewer over the shoulder, creates spatial depth and brings the figure to life by avoiding the stiffness of a frontal depiction. Because the artist chose to highlight the figure from above, a distinct shadow is cast under the tip of the nose, in the shape of a triangle. This is an often recurring and almost ‘signature’-like feature in Van der Smissen’s oeuvre. Hurlebusch's garments are of a very high quality and serve to reflect the sitter’s wealth, status and elegance. During this period, gentlemen often shaved their heads in order to facilitate the wearing of a wig, which wouldbe worn with a suit. Here Hurlebusch has been depicted in a luxurious turban-like cap lined with lynx fur, a highly fashionable and expensive material at the time. Over his shirt, he wears a velvet fur-lined gown adorned with decorative clasps fashioned from silver braid. The elegant informality of his appearance can be seen in his unbuttoned shirt and the unfastened black ribbon hanging from his button hole, which has been artfully arranged into a fluttering drape by the portraitist. The Sitter Hurlebusch was born in Brunswick, Germany. He received the first instructions in his field from his father Heinrich Lorenz Hurlebusch, who was also a musician. As an organ virtuoso, he toured Europe, visiting Vienna, Munich and Italy. From 1723 to 1725 he was Kapellmeister in Stockholm; later he became Kapellmeister in Bayreuth and Brunswick, and lived in Hamburg from 1727 to 1742, where he had contact with fellow composers Johann Mattheson and Georg Philipp Telemann. He made his living composing, performing and teaching. In 1735 and 1736, he is believed to have visited Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig, who promoted Hurlebusch’s compositions as the local seller...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A portrait of a lady and her daughter with an exotic bird
By Michael Dahl
Located in Bath, Somerset
A portrait of a lady three-quarter length, seated in an interior, wearing a red silk gown draped in a pink silk sash with an exotic bird perched on her hand and one arm resting on a stone plinth, her young daughter wearing a green silk gown standing at her side. Oil on canvas, housed in a period 'Lely' giltwood frame. This double portrait was painted at the height of Dahl's career in circa 1715 when Dahl had become firmly established as one of the leading portrait painters in Britain. Although the identities of the sitters are currently unknown, it is a sensitive depiction of a close and affectionate bond between a mother and daughter, with the young girl's hand resting affectionately on her mothers lap. The tamed exotic bird adds a charming decorative element which also serves to convey the high social status of the lady, given only the very wealthy would be able to own such a rare and expensive pet and the lively colouring of the bird's feathers is reflected in the colours of the sitters' silk gowns. Provenance: Private collection, London Michael Dahl (Stockholm 1659-1743 London) was born in Stockholm in Sweden and studied under Martin Hannibal (d 1741) and later with David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl. In 1682 he travelled to London, where he became acquainted with Godfrey Kneller and Henry Tilson, and in 1685 he left for Europe with Tilson, working briefly in Paris before continuing to Venice and Rome, where they stayed for about two years. In Rome Dahl converted to Roman Catholicism and gravitated towards the circle of Christina, former Queen of Sweden, who sat for him (Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincs). He returned to England with Tilson via Frankfurt and arrived in London in 1689, staying in England for the remainder of his career. During Dahl's absence, Kneller had consolidated his supremacy in London as the most fashionable portrait painter, but Dahl rapidly became Kneller’s closest competitor. His patrons probably had roots in the Swedish diplomatic circles, but it expanded as a result of his ability and his agreeable personality. His prices were lower than those of Kneller and he favoured softer, more diffused, colour tones and could respond to his sitters with sincerity and humanity. Politically, Kneller supported the ascendant Whigs while Dahl was a Tory, but they frequently painted the same sitters from both parties, and in spite of fundamental differences in technique and temperament, their work was sometimes similar in appearance. Dahl was prolific but rarely signed his work, and comparatively few of his portraits were engraved in mezzotint, the method used by Kneller to widen his reputation. By 1690 he had painted the aged Duke of Schomberg (engraved by William Faithorne) and Prince George of Denmark (London, Kensington Palace). He was ignored by William III but received commissions from Princess Anne, including one for a portrait of herself (Oakly Park, Ludlow, Salop). He also painted the future Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and his informal portrait of the Duchess (Althorp House, Northants), formerly attributed to Kneller, is perhaps the most intimate of all images of her. During the 1690s he secured the patronage of Charles Seymour, the ‘Proud’ 6th Duke of Somerset, who ordered a series of seven full-length portraits of notable contemporary beauties from Dahl (1690s; Petworth House, W. Sussex, NT). This was originally a scheme similar to Kneller’s more famous ‘Hampton Court Beauties’, but the portraits were subsequently reduced to three-quarter-length formats. The features of the sitters are not individualized, but they possess a decorative, languorous glamour that recalls Lely rather than Kneller. Somerset gave Dahl further employment over the next 25 years. In 1698, following the death of Klöcker Ehrenstrahl, Dahl was offered the post of court painter at Stockholm, which he apparently refused, preferring to remain in London at his studio in Leicester Fields, near the Swedish legation. In about 1700 he was joined by a young compatriot, Hans Hysing, who worked with him for many years. Dahl seems not to have married until after 1708, He had a son Michael (d. 1741), also a painter, of whose work nothing is known, and two daughters. After the accession of Queen Anne in 1701, she and Prince George sat for a number of official portraits. His royal patronage ceased with Queen Anne’s death, and when Dahl refused to paint the infant Duke of Cumberland in 1722. He was suspected of Jacobite sympathies, and relations had cooled between him and the Swedish legation. However, his practice continued to prosper, and he acquired another important patron in Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford, who shared his political views and whose circle included the architect James Gibbs and the poets Matthew Prior and Alexander Pope, all of whom Dahl painted. Oxford commissioned several portraits of himself. In the earliest (1719; Welbeck Abbey...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Lady Pulzone Paint Oil on canvas Old master 16th Century Italian Roma
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Scipione Pulzone, called Il Gaetano (Gaeta 1544 - Rome 1598) - workshop of Portrait of Bianca Cappello (Venice, 1548 - 1587) Grand Duchess of Tuscany, second wife of Francesco I de 'Medici Second half of the 16th century oil on canvas, cm. 70 x 56 cm., Framed 103 x 87 cm. The proposed painting illustrates the portrait of Bianca Cappello (Venice, 1548 - 1587), a noblewoman of Venetian origins, second wife of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco I de 'Medici, whose expressive power is wisely highlighted by the composite cut of light three quarters, with the head and gaze directed at the observer. The beam of light coming from her right brings out the volumes of her face plastically and lingers on her features, highlighted by the large white lace ruff that surrounds his neck and by the details of her precious clothing. Bianca wears a dark red dress, perhaps a zimarra, embroidered in gold with a plunging neckline and a raised collar of the shirt curled in a ruff and also edged with precious lace, embroidered with the motif of the Florentine lily.   The favorite jewels of the noblewoman were pearls: we see them on a choker that adorns the neckline, in the earrings and again in the hairstyle, which sees the hair gathered at the nape of the neck and adorned with a string of small black pearls and embellished with a clasp. It is a high-quality painting that can be confined to the workshop of the painter Scipione Pulzone called Gaetano, representing at best a pictorial genre, that of portraiture, in which the master excelled. This attribution would be confirmed by comparisons with the numerous portraits that Pulzone dedicated to the Medici family. Our painting, in particular, could represent one of the versions that the workshop has replicated, at the request of the numerous art collectors who wish to have a portrait of one of the most influential personalities of the Florentine scene. The characters drawn by Pulzone were icons of incomparable elegance: noblewomen, knights and religious lent their faces to the eye of the artist who was able to grasp every meticulous detail with his superb technique. A photographic wealth and surprising material attention that trace the pictorial prototypes of Flemish inspiration, in particular of Antonis Mor...
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16th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Male and female portrait, both in silk kimono, possibly textile dealers
By Christoffel Lubieniecki
Located in Amsterdam, NL
CHRISTOFFEL LUBIENIECKI (1659-1729) Pair of portraits of a gentleman and a lady, both in silk kimono, before a country house (circa 1680) Indistinctly signed “C.......” on a box under the man’s left hand Oil on canvas, 79.5 x 67 cm each Both sitters are portrayed wearing a silk “Japanese” coat. During the second half of the seventeenth the Japanese silk coat, an adapted Japanese kimono, became a real vogue in the Dutch elite. The exclusive Dutch trade contacts with Japan can explain the popularity of the kimono-style silk coats in the Netherlands. Everybody who could afford one, dressed in such a fashionable and comfortable coat and, like the present sitters, some proud owners had themselves portrayed in a “Japanese” coat often together with an oriental carpet to underline their standing and international connections. These portraits are the work of the Polish-born portraitist Christoffel Lubieniecki (also known as Lubienitski, Lubinitski or Lubiniecki) Lubieniecki was first trained in Hamburg under Julian Stuhr and after 1675 in Amsterdam under Adriaen Backer and Gerard de Lairesse. He specialized in landscapes, generally of an Italianate character, and in portraits. The loving execution of these contented burghers, enjoying the garden vistas of their country house, places him alongside Amsterdam portraitists such as Constantijn Netscher and Michiel van Musscher...
Category

1680s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th century English portrait of a lady beside an urn, with a basket of flowers
By Tilly Kettle
Located in Bath, Somerset
Portrait of a lady wearing a white gown with a red cloak, pearls in her hair and draped over one shoullder, standing beside a classical urn with a basket of flowers, c.1765. The portrait is believed to be a companion portrait of a John (1741-1816) or James (1751-1807) Durno which is housed in an identical frame. The sitter is possibly either the wife of John who was Janes Byres of Stonywood or John and James's sister Elizabeth. (James never married). The Durno family were based around the Aberdeen area of Scotland and John was an advocate in the area and then later a customs official in Jamaica. James was a successful timber merchant, spending time in the Baltic before being made His Majesty's Consul in Memel, Prussia. The portrait is likely to have been painted before Tilly travelled to India in 1768, when John, Jane and Elizabeth would have been in their twenties. We are gtrateful to Mark Beattie for sharing his family knowlege and research on the portrait. Provenance: With W. C. Beattie in the mid 19th century, and by descent through the family Private collection, Kent With thanks to Hugh Belsey who has confirmed this to be the work of Tilly Kettle from photographs. Tilly Kettle (1735-1786) was born in London, the third of six children by Henry Kettle (c.1704-c.1773), a coach painter, and his wife Ann. He attended William Shipley...
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18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of an Officer, Cornelius Johnson, 17th Century Old Masters
Located in London, GB
Circle of Cornelius Johnson Circa 1620’s Portrait of a Officer Oil on canvas Image size: 28 x 24 inches Period style hand made frame Provenance Private European Estate This striking portrait dates to around 1620, as you can see from the images of the sash the detail is very high. The sash is decorated with gold thread and would have cost a small fortune at the time. Sashes were originally developed for a military function (making officers more visible for their men during combat), but soon became a primarily male fashion...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Saint Lawrence Looking at the Treasures
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
"Saint Lawrence Looking at the Treasures" is a captivating painting attributed to the Bolognese School, a prominent art movement from Bologna, Italy, flourishing primarily in the 16t...
Category

Late 17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

COUNTRY GIRL- In the Manner of W.A.Bouguereau- Italy Oil on canvas -Painting
Located in Napoli, IT
Country girl - Pietro Colonna Italia 2006 - Oil on canvas cm. 45x25 Gold gilded wooden frame available on request The painting by Pietro Colonna is a reinterpretation of the Young Sh...
Category

Early 2000s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Flagellation of Christ Antique Oil on Wood Panel Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Flagellation of Christ Eastern European artist, late 19th century oil on wood panel, framed framed: 35 x 25.5 inches panel: 32 x 21 inches Provenance: private collection, Franc...
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Late 19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

17th Century by Juan Alfonso Abril Head of St Paul Painting Oil on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Juan Alfonso Abril (active in the 17th century in Valladolid, Spain) Title: Head of Saint Paul Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 48.5 x 62 ...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

SAMURAI -Italian School - Oil on Canvas Italian Figurative Painting
Located in Napoli, IT
Samurai - Maximilian Ciccone - Italia - Oil on canvas cm.210x120- In this majestic oil on canvas painting the Artist Ciccone portrays a samurai, exhibiting the Japanese warrior cast...
Category

2010s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Gentleman, 17th Century Dutch Old Masters Oil
Located in London, GB
Circle of Gerard van Honthorst 1592 - 1656 Portrait of a Gentleman Oil on wooden panel Image size: 29 x 23 inches Contemporary gilt frame Gerard van Honthorst was a Dutch Golden Age...
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17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Early 1800 s Italian Oil Painting Portrait of Bearded Man Saint Peter Apostle
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Italian School, early 19th century 'Portrait of a Bearded Man' - possibly Saint Peter? oil on board, framed framed: 16 x 13.5 inches board: 12.5 x 9.5 inches provenance: private col...
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Early 19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

16th Century by Bernardino Detti Face of Christ Oil on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Bernardino Detti (Pistoia, Italy, 1498 - 1572) Title: Face of Christ Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 41 x 32 cm - with frame 47 x 55.5 cm Antique box frame made of solid wood and walnut burl Not signed Publications: unpublished The painting by Bernardino Detti (1498 - 1572) depicts the face of Jesus...
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16th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th Century Oil Painting Portrait of Phillip, 6th Viscount Wenman.
By Nathaniel Dance-Holland
Located in London, GB
Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland (1750-1811) was an English portrait painter and one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768. Justly celebrated in his lifetime he won several...
Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Lady, 17th Century Flemish Oil Old Masters
By Jacob Huysmans
Located in London, GB
Jacob Huysmans Flemish 1633 - 1696 Portrait of a Lady Oil on canvas Image size: 49 x 40 ¼ inches Gilt frame Huysmans was born in Antwerp and came to England during the reign of Charles II where he became one of the fashionable painters of the court.. The diarist Samual Pepys noted the artist as capable of a more exact likeness than Lely. Certainly the diarist records that by August 1664 in the circle of Queen Catherine...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Portrait of a Girl, 17th Century English School Old Masters Oil
By Gilbert Jackson
Located in London, GB
Gilbert Jackson English Active: 1620 - 1650 Portrait of a Girl Oil on panel, signed upper left and Inscribed upper right Image size: 24 ½ x 20 inches Contemporary style hand made...
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17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

17th century By Neapolitan Maestro San Vincenzo Ferreri Oil on canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
17th Century Neapolitan Maestro Title: San Vincenzo Ferreri Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 63 x 48.5 cm - with frame 77 x 63.5 cm Original shaped, carved, sculpted a...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

17th Century by Giuseppe Assereto Portrait of an Elderly Woman Oil on Canvas
By Giuseppe Assereto
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Giuseppe Assereto (Genova - 1626 ca – Genova 1656/57) Title: Portrait of an elderly woman, possible portrait of Maddalena Massone, wife of Gioacchino Assereto Medium: Oil on canvas D...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

19th century Oil portrait of a Hungarian Rabbi
Located in Woodbury, CT
This 19th-century oil on panel portrait depicts a Hungarian Rabbi, characterized by his traditional attire and solemn expression. The Rabbi is portrayed with a long, white beard and ...
Category

1890s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Portrait of William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, Early 17th Century Portrait
Located in London, GB
English School, (circa 1600) Portrait of William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke Oil on panel, oval Image size: 29¼ x 23⅞ inches Painted wooden frame Provenance: 176, Collection of Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick. The Trustees of the Lord Brooks’ Settlement, (removed from Warwick Castle). Sotheby’s, London, 22nd March 1968, lot 81. Painted onto wooden panel, this portrait shows a dark haired gentleman in profile sporting an open white shirt. On top of this garments is a richly detailed black cloak, decorated with gold thread and lined with a sumptuous crimson lining. With the red silk inside it’s all very expensive and would fall under sumptuary laws – so this is a nobleman of high degree. It’s melancholic air conforms to the contemporary popularity of this very human condition, evident in fashionable poetry and music of the period. In comparison to our own modern prejudices, melancholy was associated with creativity in this period. This portrait appeared in the earliest described list of pictures of Warwick castle dating to 1762. Compiled by collector and antiquary Sir William Musgrave ‘taken from the information of Lord & Lady Warwick’ (Add. MSS, 5726 fol. 3) is described; ‘8. Earl of Essex – an original by Zuccharo – seen in profile with black hair. Holding a black robe across his breast with his right hand.’ As tempting as it is to imagine that this is a portrait of Robert Devereux, the 2nd Earl Essex, we might take this with a pinch of salt. Its identification with this romantic and fatal Elizabethan might well have been an attempt to add romance to Warwick Castle’s walls. It doesn’t correspond all that well with Essex’s portraits around 1600 after his return from Cadiz. Notably, this picture was presumably hung not too far away from the castle’s two portraits of Queen Elizabeth I. The first, and undoubtedly the best, being the exquisite coronation portrait that was sold by Lord Brooke in the late 1970s and now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. The second, described as being ‘a copy from the original at Ld Hydes’, has yet to resurface. The portrait eventually ended up being hung in the State Bedroom of Warwick Castle. Archival documents present one other interesting candidate. The Greville family’s earliest inventory of paintings, made in 1630 at their home Brooke House in Holborn, London, describes five portraits of identified figures. All five belonged to the courtier, politician and poet Sir Fulke Greville (1554-1628), 1st Baron Brooke, and were hung in the ‘Gallerie’ of Brooke House behind yellow curtains. One of them was described as being of ‘Lord of Pembrooke’, which is likely to have been William Herbert (1580-1630), 3rd Earl of Pembroke. William was the eldest son of Greville’s best friend’s sister Mary Sidney, and was brought up in the particularly literary and poetically orientated household which his mother had supported. Notably, the 3rd Earl was one of the figures that Shakespeare’s first folio was dedicated to in 1623. The melancholic air to the portrait corresponds to William’s own pretensions as a learned and poetic figure. The richness of the robe in the painting, sporting golden thread and a spotted black fabric, is indicative of wealth beyond that of a simple poet or actor. The portrait’s dating to around the year 1600 might have coincided with William’s father death and his own rise to the Pembroke Earldom. This period of his life too was imbued with personal sadness, as an illicit affair with a Mary Fitton had resulted in a pregnancy and eventual banishment by Elizabeth I to Wilton after a short spell in Fleet Prison. His illegitimate son died shortly after being born. Despite being a close follower of the Earl of Essex, William had side-stepped supporting Devereux in the fatal uprising against the Queen and eventually regained favour at the court of the next monarch James I. His linen shirt is edged with a delicate border of lace and his black cloak is lined on the inside with sumptuous scarlet and richly decorated on the outside with gold braid and a pattern of embroidered black spots. Despite the richness of his clothes, William Herbert has been presented in a dishevelled state of semi-undress, his shirt unlaced far down his chest with the ties lying limply over his hand, indicating that he is in a state of distracted detachment. It has been suggested that the fashion for melancholy was rooted in an increase in self-consciousness and introspective reflection during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In contemporary literature melancholy was said to be caused by a plenitude of the melancholy humor, one of the four vital humors, which were thought to regulate the functions of the body. An abundance of the melancholia humor was associated with a heightened creativity and intellectual ability and hence melancholy was linked to the notion of genius, as reflected in the work of the Oxford scholar Robert Burton, who in his work ‘The Anatomy of Melancholy’, described the Malcontent as ‘of all others [the]… most witty, [who] causeth many times divine ravishment, and a kind of enthusiamus… which stirreth them up to be excellent Philosophers, Poets and Prophets.’ (R. Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, London, 1621 in R. Strong, ‘Elizabethan Malady: Melancholy in Elizabethan and Jacobean Portraits’, Apollo, LXXIX, 1964). Melancholy was viewed as a highly fashionable affliction under Elizabeth I, and her successor James I, and a dejected demeanour was adopted by wealthy young men, often presenting themselves as scholars or despondent lovers, as reflected in the portraiture and literature from this period. Although the sitter in this portrait is, as yet, unidentified, it seems probable that he was a nobleman with literary or artistic ambitions, following in the same vain as such famous figures as the aristocratic poet and dramatist, Edward de Vere...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

18th century oil painting English portrait of a gent in armor, wearing a wig
By studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller
Located in Woodbury, CT
Outstanding early 18th century English portrait of James Bellevue. The portrait was always believed to be the work of Sir Godfrey Kneller who was known to have painted James Bellevu...
Category

Early 1700s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

17th Century by Cristoforo Serra Portrait of a Shepherd Oil on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Cristoforo Serra (Cesena, Italy, 1600 - 1689) Title: Portrait of a Shepherd Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 92 x 75 cm - with frame 106.5 x 94.5 cm Antique gilt-wood...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

18th Century by Antonio Mercurio Amorosi Portrait Little Girl with Cat
By Antonio Mercurio Amorosi
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Artist: Antonio Mercurio Amorosi (Comunanza, Italy, 1660 - 1738) Title: Portrait of a little girl with cat Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 42 x 31.5 cm – with frame 5...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

19th Century By Comte d Houdetot Portrait of GiovanniAntonioFilippini Oil/canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Frédéric-Christophe, Comte d'Houdetot (Paris, France, 1778 - 1859) Title: Portrait of Giovanni Antonio Filippini Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 72.50 x 42 cm - with ...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A painting of Sappho by Ettore Forti
Located in London, GB
A painting of Sappho by Ettore Forti Italian, c.1900 Frame: Height 85cm, width 38cm, depth 2.5cm Canvas: Height 73cm, with 26.5cm, depth 2.5cm This excellent portrait painting depic...
Category

Late 19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Man, 17th Century Dutch Oil on Panel Portrait
Located in London, GB
Circle of Cornelis Dusart Dutch 1660 - 1704 Portrait of a Man Oil on panel Image size: 7¾ x 5¼ inches Giltwood frame Cornelis Dusart Cornelis ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Portrait Philosopher Heraclitus Beinaschi Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Italy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Giovanni Battista Beinaschi (Fossano c. 1634 - Naples 1688) Portrait of the philosopher Heraclitus (absorbed in reading) Oil on canvas (82 x 64 cm - Framed 95 x 75 cm.) The p...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Young Prince, 19th c., by Mystery Artist
Located in New York, NY
Mystery Artist Untitled (Young Prince), c. 1800-1900 Oil on canvas 16 x 13 in. Framed: 23 x 19 1/2 x 2 in.
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

17th Century by Giovanni Stefano Danedi Madonna and Child Crowned by Angels
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Giovanni Stefano Danedi, called Montalto (Treviglio, Italy, 1612 - Milan, Italy, 1690) Title: Madonna and Child crowned by angels Medium: Oil on panel Dimensions: without frame 58 x ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Panel, Oil

16th Century by Giovanni Maria Butteri Portrait of Francesco I Oil on Panel
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Giovanni Maria Butteri (Florence, Italy, 1540 - 1606) Title: Portrait of Francesco I Medium: Oil on panel Dimensions: without frame cm. 47.7 x 39 - with frame cm. 55.2 x 46.5 Not signed Expertise by Carlo Falciani, art historian Fairs: The International Biennial of Antiques in Florence 2024 (BIAF, Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze) Publications: From Sacro to Profano, the Giorgio Baratti art collection from Milan, exhibition catalogue curated by Daiva Mitrulevičiūtė, Giovanni Matteo Guidetti and Ileana Maniscalco, (16 February – 27 September 2020), Vilnius, National Museum - Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, pp. 566-569. This valuable portrait, by the painter Giovanni Maria Butteri, an exponent of Mannerism and active mainly in Florence, portrays Francesco I de' Medici (1541 - 1587) eldest son of the Grand Duke of Tuscany...
Category

16th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Painting 19th century old master rural daily life
By Henri-Joseph Castaing
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
CASTAING Henri Joseph (1860-1918) Young girl at the source Oil on canvas signed low left Frame gilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 100 X 66 cm Dim frame : 121 X 86 cm CASTAING Henr...
Category

1890s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Spanish school. Secretary of Pope Pius V, abbot of Husillos, bishop of Córdoba.
Located in Firenze, IT
Portrait of Francisco de Reynoso y Baeza.   Secretary of Pope Pius V, abbot of Husillos and bishop of Córdoba. Francisci de Reynoso. Early 17th century. Small-format portrait from the late Renaissance period. Spanish school. Size: Cm 19 x Cm 13.5 Oil on wooden panel. On the back the fine tablet is strengthened (already in ancient times) by a sheet of parchment. About 1600-1610. As often in Mannerist / Late Renaissance portraits, the image of the character is accompanied by the writing that runs at the top, adding a celebratory, historicising touch to the effigy. Let's bring back the sentence here: DON FRANCISCO DE REINOSO. CAMARERO SECRETO IESCALCO PIO QUINTO OBISCOPO CORDOBA. 68 (? O 7?) (1534, Autillo de Campos, Spain - 1601, Córdoba) Francisco de Reynoso was a Spanish cleric, chief chamberlain, and secretary to Pope Pius V, abbot of Husillos, and bishop of Córdoba. He was the fourth of eleven children. His father was the seventh Lord of Autillo de Campos, and his mother was Juana de Baeza y de las Casas, daughter of Manuel de Baeza, a lawyer of the Royal Council and at the Court of Valladolid. Francisco de Reynoso was deeply devoted to the Virgin Mary and showed a strong inclination toward religion and piety from an early age. He studied Latin, arts, and theology at the University of Salamanca. In 1562, he traveled to Rome with his brothers Pedro and Luis. In January 1566, following the death of Pope Pius IV, Cardinal Antonio Michele Ghislieri was elected pope, becoming Pius V. From this period until Ghislieri's death in 1572, Francisco de Reynoso served as his chief chamberlain and secretary. After Pope Pius V died, Francisco de Reynoso returned to Spain and lived for several years in the city of Palencia, where his brother Manuel was a canon. He supported the Society of Jesus when it was established in Palencia, providing alms to the school's clergy and funding chairs of Letters and Theology at his own expense, as well as donating a significant number of books. During the brief outbreak of the Black Plague...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Parchment Paper, Oil, Wood Panel

SPRING PORTRAIT- French School Impressionist - Italian Oil on Canvas Painting
Located in Napoli, IT
SPRING PORTRAIT - Oil on canvas cm.30x24 by Jean Philipe Moreno, Italy 2002. Frame available on request from our workshop. Moreno’s portrait depicts a young Parisian woman, her face ...
Category

2010s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

17th-18th Century By Benedetto Luti Head of a Girl Oil Pastel on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Benedetto Luti (Florence, Italy, 1666 - Rome, Italy, 1724) Title: Head of a Girl Medium: Oil pastel on canvas Dimensions: without frame 28 x 23.5 cm - with frame 38.5 x 33.5 cm Origi...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil Pastel

COUNTRY GIRL- W.A.Bouguereau- Italian Portarit of young peasant Oil on canvas
Located in Napoli, IT
Country girl - Pietro Colonna Italia 2006 - Oil on canvas cm. 45x25 Gold gilded wooden frame available on request The painting by Pietro Colonna is a free interpretation of the paint...
Category

Early 2000s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

CHILD - Alfonso Grassi Watercolor on paper Portrait italian Painting
Located in Napoli, IT
CHILD -Watercolorl on paper cm.51x41 signed lower left by Alfonso Grassi, Italy. Wooden frame with passeportout cm.94x73
Category

Late 20th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

The Line of Beauty and Grace, Oil on Canvas, Framed, WH 1745
Located in St. Albans, GB
A copy of the self portrait of William Hogarth with his dog, called Trump. A fantastic quality image possibly from Hogarth's original school of art. This piece is titled, dated and monogrammed. It is in an antique, period Louis XIV style frame. The painting measures 36 x 28" (92 x 72cm) Outside Frame Size: 45 x 37" (104 x 94cm) Hogarth began this self-portrait in the mid-1730s. Initially Hogarth painted himself wearing a formal coat...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Mrs Anne Neale Tucker Lauzun - British Old Master art oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This lovely British Old Master portrait oil painting is painted in the manner of Sir Henry Raeburn. Painted circa 1800, the sitter is Anne Neale Tucker Lauzun. She was born in St Geo...
Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Fine 19th Century French Oil Painting Madonna Child Carved Wood Scrolled Frame
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Madonna & Child French School, 19th century presented in carved wood scrolled frame oil on canvas, framed frame: 27 x 20 inches canvas: 15.5 x 13 inches provenance: private colle...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Philosopher Democritus Beinaschi Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Giovanni Battista Beinaschi (Fossano, c. 1634 – Naples, 1688) Portrait of the philosopher Democritus (showing a book with a white cover) Oil on canvas (82 x 64 cm - Framed 95 x ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

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 Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Early 19th Century Portrait "Countess Margaret Spencer"
Located in San Francisco, CA
JOHN HOPPNER R.A. (British, 1758–1810), "Countess Margaret Spencer," oil on canvas, canvas (relined): 36" x 28", overall (framed): 35" x 43". John Hoppner, R.A. plaque mounted cente...
Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Young Girl after Sir Thomas Lawrence, Regency portrait painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
Charming work in the Regency style, mid 19th Century after Sir Thomas Lawrence. High quality painting. Old Christie's Stencil to verso. Would grace any home, suitable for contempor...
Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pops
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

2010s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic, Pencil

Paint Religious 17th Century Oil On Panel Saint Girolamo Leonardo Italy Holy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
This splendid panel, made in the last decades of the sixteenth century, depicts San Girolamo, a monk who lived between the 4th and 5th centuries, presente...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Asklepios and His Followers
Located in Stockholm, SE
This captivating work belongs to Elias Martin’s later period, characterized by his exploration of historical, biblical, and mythological themes. As Mikael Ahlund, Director of the Gus...
Category

1810s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique French Old Master Sanguine Chalk Drawing Mother Child portrait
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Mother & Child" French School, 19th century sanguine chalk drawing on paper, unframed painting: 23.25 x 17.75 inches Condition report: The painting i...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Chalk

Large Antique French Oil Painting Old Master Portrait of Gent
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Gentleman French School, 19th century oil painting on canvas: 36 x 29 inches overall sound condition, but many surface abrasions and scuffs, thinning paint: for restora...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Óleo sobre tela - Retrato de una anciana - Año 1879
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va firmada a mano por el artista en la parte media y fechada del año 1879 Se presenta bien enmarcada la pintura El estado de la obra es aceptable Medidas de la obra: 61 cm...
Category

1870s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

PORTRAIT OF UGO FOSCOLO - Antonio Jannone - Italian Oil On Canvas Painting
Located in Napoli, IT
PORTRAIT OF UGO FOSCOLO - Oil on canvas cm.50x40, Antonio Jannone, Italy, 2002. this beautiful portrait of the Italian poet Ugo Foscolo is the painter's pe...
Category

Early 2000s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mother and Child 1920s - with Newcomb Macklin Giltwood Frame
By H. Willard Ortlip
Located in Soquel, CA
Excellent figurative painting of a mother and child by H. Willard Ortlip (American, 20th Century), 1927. Signature and date lower left "H. Willard Ortlip 1927." Presented in a giltwo...
Category

1920s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen, Stretcher Bars

Early 19th century French Oval Portrait of a pretty Young Blonde French Girl
Located in Woodbury, CT
A wonderful Oval oil on canvas portrait of a little girl. Very much in the style of Jean-Baptiste Greuze.
Category

Early 1800s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Lady Eleanor Dundas - Old Master 18C Scottish art oil painting female portrait
By Henry Raeburn (circle)
Located in Hagley, England
A fine large and stunning Scottish Old Master portrait oil painting on canvas portrait in good condition which depicts Lady Eleanor Dundas in a white dress set against an open landsc...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Cleric - British 18th century art Old Master oil painting
By Joseph Highmore
Located in Hagley, England
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 Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Old Masters portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Old Masters portrait paintings 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. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including (After) Giampietrino, Henri-Joseph Castaing, Charles Towne, and Jean Alexandre Rémy Couder. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil 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 portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 4.53 inches across are also available. Prices for portrait paintings 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 $695 and tops out at $339,912, while the average work sells for $4,791.