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Old Masters 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
Travellers near Ruins in a Landscape - Dutch Old Master art figural oil painting
By Pieter Wouwerman
Located in Hagley, England
This lovely Dutch Old Master oil painting is attributed to artist Pieter Wouwerman. Painted circa 1660 it is figurative landscape with horseback travellers and their dogs in the foreground approaching ruins on their left. Beyond is a river snakes through the landscape, beneath the fading light of approaching dusk. There are some superb details making this an excellent Dutch Golden Age oil painting...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Boy and His Pug Dog
Located in Wiscasett, ME
Fantastic early portrait of a young man and his pug dog. This painting is most likely British, but it could also be from continental Europe. It dates from the late 18th to the early ...
Category

Early 19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Landscape Garden Knight De Moucheron Paint 17/18yh Century Oil on canvas
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Isaac de Moucheron (Amsterdam 1667 - 1744) circle Renaissance garden with knightly festival Oil on canvas 70 x 98 cm. In frame 106 x 133 cm. We present this delightful compos...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Escuela española (XVIII) - Óleo sobre tela - San Juan Bautista
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Escuela Española siglo XVIII Se trata de un óleo sobre tela representando a San Juan Bautista Se presenta sin enmarcar la obra Medidas: 104 x 83 cm. El estado se puede ver, pres...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Madonna Child with Saint Heavenly Cherubs Fine 17th Century Old Master Oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Madonna and Child with a Saint and Heavenly Cherubs 17th Century Italian School, unsigned oil on canvas, framed framed: 20 x 18 inches canvas : 13 x 10 inches Provenance: private col...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Manner of Guido Reni (1575-1642) The Prophecy of Simeon Large Antique Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: Manner of Guido Reni (1575-1642) Italian Title: The Prophecy of Simeon Medium: oil painting on canvas, unframed Painting: 21.5 ...
Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

After Bartolome Murillo "Little Fruitseller" Oil
By (After) Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Located in Astoria, NY
After Bartolome Esteban Murillo (Spanish, 1618-1682), "The Little Fruitseller", Oil on Canvas, 19th century, apparently unsigned, depicting young girl and boy counting money over var...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Saint Catherine Religious Reni 17th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master Italy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Guido Reni (Bologna 1575 - 1642) Workshop of Probably Gian Domenico Cerrini, the Cavalier Perugino (Perugia 1609 - Rome 1681) Saint Catherine of Alexandria Oil on canvas 65 x 5...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Old Master Wooded Landscape - Irish 1830 art woodland oil painting
By James Arthur O Connor
Located in Hagley, England
A delightful large oil on canvas of a wooded landscape which dates to circa 1830 and is attributed to Irish artist James Arthur O’Connor. A superb painting and an excellent example o...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Standing Leap at a Gate
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
James Seymour (1702-1752) A Standing Leap at a Gate Mezzotint with hand colouring Image size 10 x 14 in Framed size 16 1/2 x 20 in James Seymour was an English artist renowned for h...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Mezzotint

Fine 18th Century English Oil Portrait Smart Gentleman Squire holding Letter
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
English School, circa 1780’s Circle of George Romney (1734-1802) oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 36 x 30 inches canvas: 30 x 25 inches private collectio...
Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Villagers in a Landscape - Flemish 17thC art figurative landscape oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This fantastic Flemish 17th century Old Master oil painting is by Thomas Van Apshoven. It was painted circa 1650 and depicts a village with figures outside a tavern, eating, drinking and dancing. Beyond are more dwellings, villagers and animals, all under a blue summer's sky. The detail, brushwork and vibrant colouring are superb. This is an excellent example of Apshoven's work and a typical subject he loved to paint. Provenance. Leominster estate. Wax stamp verso. Condition. Oil on panel, 22 inches by 17 inches and in good condition. Frame. Housed In beautiful gilt frame, 30 inches by 25 inches and in good condition. Thomas van Apshoven (1622– 1664) was a Flemish painter known for his landscapes with peasant scenes and genre scenes in interiors. His genre scenes depict village festivals, the interiors of taverns, village scenes or landscapes with peasants engaged in various activities, singeries, guardroom scenes and laboratories of alchemists. Some still lifes have also been attributed to him. His themes and style are close to that of David Teniers the Younger. He was born on 30 November 1622 in Antwerp as the eldest son of Ferdinand van Apshoven the Elder and Leonora Wijns. His father was a painter who had studied with Adam van Noort and had become a master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1596. No paintings by his father are known. His younger brother Ferdinand van Apshoven the Younger became also a successful painter. Thomas studied under his father. Some sources state that he became a pupil of the prominent genre painter David Teniers the Younger. It is more likely, however, that he was an imitator of Teniers. He was registered as a 'wijnmeester' [son of a master] in the Guild of St. Luke of Antwerp in the guild year 1645–1646. He married Barbara Janssens on 22 March 1645. The couple had four children. The godfathers of the children included the painters Victor Wolfvoet...
Category

1650s Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Escuela colonial (XVIII) - Óleo en tela - La enseñanza de santa Ana a la virgen
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra se presenta enmarcada con su marco original de la época (el marco presenta faltas y desgastes) El estado de la obra se puede ver, tiene perdidas y de pintura y faltas en la ...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

18th Century portrait oil painting of a lady in an ermine trimmed cloak
Located in Nr Broadway, Worcestershire
Circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller Dutch, (1646-1723) Portrait of a Lady in an Ermine Trimmed Cloak Oil on canvas Image size: 26.5 inches x 22.5 inches Size including frame: 33.5 inches x 29.5 inches A well-executed half-length portrait of a lady painted in a feigned oval, circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller. The use of a feigned oval was a device used in portraiture to give a sense of depth and add an intimacy to the painting, drawing your attention to the sitter. The subject, posed without her wig in the undressed fashion of the day, wears a blue ermine trimmed blue cloak over a white silk robe...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pharmacist Valentino Signed Paint Oil on canvas Old master 17th Century Italy
By Giovanni Domenico Valentino (Rome 1630 - Imola 1708)
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Giovanni Domenico Valentino (Rome 1630 - Imola 1708) Signed with the monogram G.D.V in the center right, on a majolica vase The pharmacist in his laboratory Oil on canvas, 73 x 66 cm In gilded and lacquered frame cm. 86 x 80 This work, depicting a fascinating laboratory interior with a pharmacist busy in the preparation of medicines, is part of the typical production of the Roman Gian Domenico Valentini, also known as Giovanni Domenico Valentino (Rome 1630 - Imola 1708). The canvas, which is signed with the monogram G.D.V in the center right on a majolica vase, should have been painted in Rome, where the painter worked from 1662 until his death, except in 1680-1681, when he worked in Imola and Ravenna. The use of models by Flemish artists who populated the Eternal City appears essential in the development of Valentini's painting. The use of Nordic models in the development of this type of pictorial genre, with interior scenes and elements of still life, had gained great fortune with the Roman client, leading to an almost serial production, but always of great evocative charm. . Giovanni Domenico Valentini distinguished himself in the artistic panorama of the Italian seventeenth century precisely for the peculiarity of his favorite subjects: they are mainly kitchen interiors or as in our case of a laboratory, where countless objects are piled up arranged in picturesque disorder: here the tools of a pharmacy, in copper and terracotta, vases or pourers in metal and clay, jars and albarelli in majolica, bottles, flasks, glasses, cauldrons, basins and other containers in copper and terracotta, as well as an open oven. The large background wall is occupied by an angular hanging shelf for jars and apothecary jars all arranged in a row, in the foreground the still life featured various pharmaceutical tools such as apothecary bottles, mortar bowls, jars and jars with handles as well as pots and copper vessels. Particularly striking from a chromatic point of view, and a typical piece of furniture of the painter, is the painting above the door frame, which depicts a landscape. The interiors of the Valentini, of which our painting is a valuable example, which display large quantities of objects or furnishings, are arranged with a wisely studied organization: the whole represented is arranged according to the dictates of a pre-ordered exhibition and appears so to speak 'on display', exhibited and organized according to the very personal intent of a painter who aims to ennoble everyday life and make it the emblem of his art. The interior of our pharmacy is very similar to a monogrammed version kept in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Palais Fesch, in Ajaccio (inv. 852-1-461) depicting a 'Young man visiting a pharmacy', in which the same elements, albeit varied: the half-open wardrobe...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Figures in a River Landscape - British Old Master figurative art oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This superb British 18th century Old Master capriccio oil painting is attributed to circle of noted landscape artist Richard Wilson. Painted circa 1750 it is a stunning river landsca...
Category

1750s Old Masters Paintings

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 Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Fine 18th Century French Old Master Ink Wash Drawing Cain Abel Fighting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'Cain et Abel' Circle of Franois Devosge (1732-1811) French pencil drawing with watercolour wash on paper size: 12.25 x 9 inches private collection, France The painting is in overall...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Washi Paper, Color Pencil

Equestrian portrait of Louis XIV, workshop of René-Antoine Houasse, French 17th
Located in PARIS, FR
Equestrian portrait of Louis XIV, Workshop of René-Antoine Houasse, (Paris, c. 1645 - Paris, 1710) Late 17th century French school, c. 1690 Oil on canvas, h. 100 cm, w. 80 cm Importa...
Category

Late 17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique French Miniature Portrait of Lady Biographical details with painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Miniature Portrait French School, late 18th/ early 19th century framed: 5.5 x 5.5 inches board: 2 x 2 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound c...
Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

View Venice Grand Canal See Landscape 18th Century Paint Oil on canvas Venice
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Vedutist painter of the 18th century View of Venice with the Grand Canal, the Punta della Dogana with the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute on the left, the Palazzo Della Zecca wi...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Abraham and the Sacrifice of His Son Isaac by Adriaen Van Stalbemt, C. 1605-1610
Located in Stockholm, SE
Artist: Adriaen van Stalbemt (Stalbempt) 1580-1662 Title: Abraham and the Sacrifice of His Son Isaac “Das Opfer des Abraham” According to the Old...
Category

Early 1600s Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Copper

Rebecca at the Well
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
Nicola Maria Rossi masterfully captures the biblical tale of Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well, a story from the Book of Genesis. In this scene, Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, arrives at ...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fine 18th Century British Old Master Oil The Young Shepherdess with Lamb
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Young Shepherd English School, 18th century circle of Sir Joshua Reynolds oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 30 x 25 inches Provenance: Private collection Condition: very good condi...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Perroneau Portrait Lady Woman Paint Oil on canvas 18th Century Old master French
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Jean-Baptiste Perroneau (Paris, 1715 – Amsterdam, 1783) Portrait of a lady Oil on oval canvas 60 x 50 cm. - In frame 77 x 66 cm. Work accompanied by expertise: Raffaelle Colace (Cremona), Ferdinando Arisi Reference bibliography: d’Arnoult, Dominique (2014) Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, c 1715-1783, un portraitiste dans l’Europe des Lumières Excerpt from the expertise of Dr. Colace: This refined portrait of a lady is a perfect example of the style of Jean-Baptiste Perroneau, a very talented French painter, whose most beautiful works are located, just like this one, between the fifth and sixth decades of the eighteenth century. "Perroneaeu is more naturally colored than La Tour, the est, in the peinture de poussière colorée, tout plein de tons clairs, frais, presque humides": this is how his brothers wrote about him in La Maison d...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Antique English 19th century marine scene
Located in Woodbury, CT
Outstanding English late 18th / early 19th century marine scene by one of Britain's best known and sought after painters. William (or Wiliam) Anderson (1757 – 27 May 1837) was a Scottish artist specializing in maritime and patriotic themes. He was well-regarded for his detailed and accurate portraits of ships under sail, exhibiting his works annually in London between 1787 and 1811 and then occasionally until 1834. Anderson influenced other artists, notably John Ward and others of the Hull school. Anderson's early life is obscure, but he is known to have trained as a shipwright before moving to London to become a maritime painter when he was about 30. His training served him well as a painter, providing "a practical nautical knowledge" of his subjects. He earned a reputation for "accuracy and refinement of detail" and was admired for his bright, clear colours. He worked in both oils and watercolours. He based his style on that of well-known Dutch maritime...
Category

1810s Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

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 Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Young Boy
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Attributed Federico Icilio Joni (1866-1946, North Italian Sienese) “Portrait of a Young Boy” 17 ¾ x 14” (on poplar panel) Icilio Federico J...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Antique European Religious Figure Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Antique European oil on panel, framed framed: 9 x 7 inches board: 7 x 5inches private collection, France the painting is in overall very good and sound condition
Category

19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

St. George Dragon Raphael Sanzio Paint Oil on canvas 17/18th Century Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
St. George Defeats the Dragon Follower of Raphael Sanzio (Urbino, 1483 - Rome, 1520), 17th-18th century Oil on oval canvas 124 x 95 cm./ in frame 148 x 118 cm. The painting evocati...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Gentleman Armour, Blue Cloak, Diamond Brooch c.1700 French Carved Frame
By Joseph Vivien
Located in London, GB
Portrait of a Gentleman in Armour and Azure Cloak with Diamond Brooch c.1700 Attributed to Joseph Vivienne (1657-1735) The sitter in this superb portrait, offered by Titan Fine Art...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cotton Canvas

Allegory Sculpture Trémolières Paint 18th Century Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Pierre Charles Trémolières (Cholet, 1703 - Paris, 1739) Allegory of Sculpture Oil on canvas 112 x 86 cm In original lacquered frame 122 x 95 cm Work accompanied by expertise ...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Huge I1600 s Italian Old Master Oil on Canvas Jesus at House of Mary Martha
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Jesus at the House of Mary & Martha Italian artist, 1600's oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 32.5 x 56.5 inches Provenance: Private collection, England Condition: for a work of such mo...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Susanna Old Men Religious Roma nschool 17th Century Paint Oiul on canvas Italy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Painter active in Rome in the early 17th century Susanna and the Old Men Oil on canvas 76 x 62 cm. with frame 92 x 78 cm. This valuable painting illustrates the piquant episode, ta...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Old Master portrait of a lady musician by the master or portraiture
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Attributed to Pierre Paul Prud’hon (French, 1758-1823) 'La belle musicienne' Oil on canvas, oval Signed ‘P. P. Prudon’ (lower left) 28.3/4 x 23.1/2 in. (73 x 59.5 cm.) Pierre Paul Prud'hon is considered a prime example of early French Romanticism. He was born as the seventh and last child of a master tailor. At the age of 16 he was a pupil of the painter and sculptor Francois Devosge. After finishing his studies he moved to Paris, where he first worked for an engraver and became friends with the Baron of Joursanvault, who became his patron. He also made a friendship with the "incorruptible", the politician and revolutionary Maximilien de Robespierre. Despite important friendships and the care of some cardinals, Prud'hon plunges into loneliness and melancholy. He has a good reputation and produces allegorical paintings, but his attachment to Robespierre forces him to leave the French capital. He now lives in the Free County of Burgundy, where he makes portraits and illustrations for Pierre Didot, the owner of the printing house. After a few years he moved back to Paris and his career received a new impetus. In the Louvre, Prud'hon is provided with a studio in which he paints "La sagesse et la vérité descendant sur la terre" (Wisdom and Truth descend to earth) for one year, as well as some ceilings of the Louvre. The government assigns him a studio in the Sorbonne, where his wife Jeanne, whom he married at the age of 19, comes looking for him. To escape her, he asks the museum director for protection. In 1808 he wrote "La justice et la vengeance divine poursuivant le crime" (Justice and divine revenge pursue the crime). In the same year he is also named Knight of the Legion of Honour and is able to break with his grumpy wife once and for all. He soon reconnects with his student and painter of neoclassicism Constance Mayer. Pierre is commissioned to paint a portrait of the Empress and wife of Napoleon, Joséphine de Beauharnais, which can still be seen today in the Louvre. He also paints the small "Roi de Rome" (King of Rome). In 1816 the Academy of Fine Arts elected him a member, where he took over the armchair in the painting section of François-André Vincent. A few years later his depressed wife commits suicide, and full of pain Prud'hon finishes her last work "Une famille malheureuse" (Engl. An Unhappy Family) and exhibits it. He himself dies soon afterwards and is buried in Paris. Many renowned artists admire Prud'hon for his "clair-obscur", the chiaroscuro painting...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still-Life Carpet Tibaldi Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master Italy
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Antonio Tibaldi (Rome, c. 1633 - c. 1684) Still Life with Precious Objects, Brocade Fabrics and a Plate of Sweets c. 1650/1660 Oil on canvas, 96 x 130 cm In frame 115 x 150 c...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

English 18th century portrait of a lady, Circle of Thomas Murray (1663-1735)
Located in Bath, Somerset
An early 18th century portrait of a young lady, half length, wearing a blue silk gown with white chemise and gold trimmed cloak draped across her arm and shoulders. Her sensitively observed soft expression and skilfully painted youthful 'dewy' complexion are reminiscent of the portrait style of John Closterman whose work Murray would have been familiar with, being a close colleague of Murray's teacher, John Riley. An old label on the reverse identifies the sitter as a young Princess Charlotte...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Landscape See Paint Oil on canvas Flemish Old master 18th Century Italian Art
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Flemish painter active in Italy in the eighteenth century Coastal landscape of the Mediterranean with architectures and figures Oil painting on canvas (69 x 88 cm., in frame 80 x 100 cm.) The suggestive view proposed depicts a coastal view with a bay and the ruins of an ancient building, probably a monastery or a church, and in the background another building with a garden surrounded by high walls close to the shore. The type of landscape, typical of the southern Italian environment, and the intimate atmosphere that welcomes the scene, attributes the authorship of the work to a landscape painter active in the eighteenth century, presumably in Italy in this period, with immediate references to the Dutch school , and in particular to the production of Jacob de Heusch and above all of Gaspar van Wittel, considered the progenitor of Italian landscape painting. In fact, in the rendering of the architectural details, in the purity with which the buildings have been reconstructed, as well as in the atmosphere that encompasses the entire landscape, a marked correspondence to the so-called "Vanvitellian realism" can be seen: in fact, a comparison with a certain series of views which the Dutchman...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Flemish Early 17th Century Old Master Oil on Panel Painting Hunting Scene 1620
Located in Portland, OR
A highly important Flemish Old Master oil painting by Peter Van Lint (1609-1690), titled "Preparing for the Hunt", the painting is dated & signed by the artist, 1620. The painting wa...
Category

1620s Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Saint Cecilia Angels De La Haye Paint 17th Century Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Lucas de la Haye, called Luca Fiammingo (Nivelles, 1612-Rome, 1682) Saint Cecilia and two cherubs Oil on canvas 118 x 91 cm. -Framed 129 x 102 cm. Expertise of Prof. Emilio Negro (Bologna) This evocative painting, which we are delighted to exhibit to you, has Saint Cecilia, the Roman noblewoman who later converted to Christianity and a very popular figure in the Baroque period as the patron saint of music, instrumentalists and singers, at the centre of the composition. She is depicted here as a splendid maiden dressed in regal robes...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

18th Century Italian Portrait Credited to Maria Giovanna Battista Clementi
Located in Roma, IT
18th Century Italian Portrait Credited to Maria Giovanna Battista Clementi The painting probably depicts a young nobleman of Savoy court ...
Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Grand 19th Century English Marine Painting in Stunning Light
By John Wilson Ewbank
Located in London, GB
John Wilson Ewbank (1799 - 1847) Shipping in the Harbour, South Shields Oil on canvas 39.5 x 58 inches unframed 47.75 x 66.5 inches framed Provenance: Christie's October 2002; Lot 11. Fine Art Society; Private Collection This marvellous up to scale Ewbank is full of light and warmth and almost certainly his greatest work of the sort rarely - if ever - seen on the market. John W. Ewbank (4 May 1799–28 November 1847), was an English-born landscape and marine painter largely operational from Scotland. The Humber river is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. Life Ewbank was born at Darlington on 4 May 1799, the son of Michael Ewbank, an innkeeper. He was adopted as a child by a wealthy uncle who lived at Wycliffe, on the banks of the River Tees, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Intended for the Roman Catholic priesthood, he was sent to Ushaw College, from which he absconded. In 1813 Ewbank was apprenticed to Thomas Coulson, an ornamental painter in Newcastle. In around 1816 he moved with Coulson to Edinburgh, where he had some lessons with Alexander Nasmyth. He found work both as a painter and a teacher. He was nominated in 1830 one of the foundation members of the Royal Scottish Academy. In 1833 he is listed as living at 7 Union Street on the eastern fringe of the New Town in Edinburgh. Works His sketches from nature were especially admired, and a series of 51 drawings of Edinburgh by him were engraved by W. H. Lizars for James Browne's Picturesque Views of Edinburgh (1825). He also made a reputation with cabinet pictures of banks of rivers, coast scenes, and marine subjects. As an illustrator he illustrated some early editions of Scott's Waverley Novels and one edition of Gilbert White...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Shipping in Stormy Waters, Attributed to Italian Artist Francesco Guardi
By Francesco Guardi
Located in Stockholm, SE
The splendour of the tragic sea Francesco Guardi and maritime painting in Venetian art No Venetian painter was a stranger to the sea. After all, Venice was not only one of the most prominent ports of the Mediterranean, but indeed a city literally submerged in the ocean from time to time. Curiously however, the famous Venetian school of painting showed little interest in maritime motifs, favouring scenes from the iconic architecture of the city rather than seascapes. That is why this painting is a particularly interesting window into not only the painter Francesco Guardi himself – but to the significance of the element of water in art history, in absence as well as in the centre of attention. Whether it be calm, sunny days with stunning views of the palaces alongside the canals of Venice or – more rarely – stormy shipwrecking tragedies at sea, water as a unifying element is integral to the works of painter Francesco Guardi (1712–1793). During his lifetime, Venetian art saw many of its greatest triumphs with names like Tiepolo or Canaletto gaining international recognition and firmly establishing Venice as one of the most vibrant artistic communities of Europe. While the city itself already in the 18th century was something of an early tourist spot where aristocrats and high society visited on their grand tour or travels, the artists too contributed to the fame and their work spread the image of Venice as the city of romance and leisure to an international audience, many of whom could never visit in person. Still today, the iconic image of Venice with its whimsical array of palaces, churches and other historic buildings is much influenced by these artists, many of whom have stood the test of time like very well and remain some of the most beloved in all of art history. It was not primarily subtility, intellectual meanings or moral ideals that the Venetian art tried to capture; instead it was the sheer vibrancy of life and the fast-paced city with crumbling palaces and festive people that made this atmosphere so special. Of course, Venice could count painters in most genres among its residents, from portraiture to religious motifs, history painting and much else. Still, it is the Vedutas and views of the city that seems to have etched itself into our memory more than anything else, not least in the tradition of Canaletto who was perhaps the undisputed master of all Venetian painters. Born into his profession, Francesco lived and breathed painting all his life. His father, the painter Domenico Guardi (1678–1716) died when Francesco was just a small child, yet both he and his brothers Niccolò and Gian Antonio continued in their fathers’ footsteps. The Guardi family belonged to the nobility and originated from the mountainous area of Trentino, not far from the Alps. The brothers worked together on more challenging commissions and supported each other in the manner typical of family workshops or networks of artists. Their sister Maria Cecilia married no other than the artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo himself, linking the family to the most renowned Venetian name of the time. During almost a decade, Guardi worked in the studio of Michele Giovanni Marieschi, sometimes simply known as Michiel, a painted similar in both style and motif. Canaletto is, however, the artist Guardi is most often compared to since they shared a mutual fascination for depicting the architecture and cityscape of Venice. During the course of his career, Guardi tried his hand in many different genres. He was as swift in painting landscapes, Vedutas of Venice, sacred motifs, interiors and architectural compositions as he was in a number of other motifs. His style is typical of the Venetian school but also distinct and personal once we look a little closer. There is an absolute certainty in the composition, the choice of which sometimes feels like that of a carefully calculated photograph – yet it is also very painterly, in the best sense of the word: fluid, bold, sensitive and full of character. The brushwork is rapid, intense, seemingly careless and extraordinarily minute at the same time; fresh and planned in a very enjoyable mixture. His interiors often capture the breath-taking spacious glamour of the palaces and all their exquisite decor. He usually constructed the motif through remarkably simple, almost spontaneous yet intuitively precise strokes and shapes. The result was a festive, high-spirited atmospheric quality, far away from the sterile and exact likeness that other painters fell victim to when trying to copy Canaletto. The painting here has nothing of the city of Venice in it. On the contrary, we seem to be transported far away into the solitary ocean, with no architecture, nothing to hold on to – only the roaring sea and the dangerous cliffs upon which the ships are just moments away from being crushed upon. It is a maritime composition evoking both Flemish and Italian precursors, in the proud tradition of maritime painting that for centuries formed a crucial part of our visual culture. This genre of painting is today curiously overlooked, compared to how esteemed and meaningful it was when our relationship to the sea was far more natural than it is today. When both people and goods travelled by water, and many nations and cities – Venice among them – depended entirely on sea fare, the existential connection to the ocean was much more natural and integrated into the imagination. The schools and traditions of maritime art are as manifold as there are countries connected to the sea, and all reflect the need to process the dangers and wonders of the ocean. It could symbolize opportunity, the exciting prospects of a new countries and adventures, prospering trade, beautiful scenery as well as war and tragedy, loss of life, danger and doom. To say that water is ambivalent in nature is an understatement, and these many layers were something that artists explored in the most wondrous ways. Perhaps it takes a bit more time for the modern eye to identify the different nuances and qualities of historic maritime paintings, they may on first impression seem hard to differentiate from each other. But when allowing these motifs to unfold and tell stories of the sea in both fiction and reality – or somewhere in between – we are awarded with an understanding of how the oceans truly built our world. In Guardi’s interpretation, we see an almost theatrically arranged shipwrecking scene. No less than five ships are depicted right in the moment of utter disaster. Caught in a violent storm, the waves have driven them to a shore of sharp cliffs and if not swallowed by the waves, crushing against the cliffs seems to be the only outcome. The large wooden ships are impressively decorated with elaborate sculpture, and in fact relics already during Guardi’s lifetime. They are in fact typical of Dutch and Flemish 17th century ships, giving us a clue to where he got the inspiration from. Guardi must have seen examples of Flemish maritime art, that made him curious about these particular motifs. One is reminded of Flemish painters like Willem van de Velde and Ludolf Backhuysen, and this very painting has indeed been mistakenly attributed to Matthieu van Plattenberg...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Madonna and Child
Located in Genève, GE
No signed This 18th-century oil on copper painting, by an anonymous artist, exemplifies the refinement and technical sophistication associated with this highly prized medium in Euro...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Copper

An Elegant Hawking Party, A Pair of Paintings
By August Querfurt
Located in Wiscasett, ME
A pair of old master paintings by August Querfurt (1696-1761). Oil on panel, one signed with initials in the lower left. Two scenes depicting hawking parties from the 18th century. I...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

“Hon. George King, 1788” Pastel Portrait, Young Boy with Cricket Ball and Dog
Located in Yardley, PA
“Hon. George King, 1788” by John Russell (1745-1806) Regarded as Britain’s foremost pastellist, John Russell is well known for his portraits of the wealthy middle class. In particul...
Category

1780s Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Pastel

River Landscape Water Michout 17/18th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Théobald Michou (Tournai, 1676 – Antwerp, 1765) River landscape with village Oil on canvas 62 x 98 Framed 74 x 110 cm We present this vast and harmonious composition, where ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Sir Anthony Van Dyck 17th Century Oil Painting Study of a Head of a Man
Located in London, GB
Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641, Flemish) Study of a Head of Man Circa 1627-32, Van Dyck’s second Antwerp period Oil on paper, laid down on canvas Dimensions 15 x 14 inches (38.1 x 3...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Diana Landscape Muller Signed Paint Oil on table 17th Century Flemish Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Jacques Muller (Utrecht 1630 - 1680) Signed: 'J. Muller f(ecit).' Pupil of Abraham van Cuylenborch (Utrecht, 1620 - 1658) Diana and the nymphs bathing in a cave Second half of the ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

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 Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Baroque Italian painter - 17th century figure painting- Baptism of Jesus
Located in Varmo, IT
Italian painter (17th century) - Baptism of Christ. 122 x 74 cm without frame, 133 x 86 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in wooden frame (not signed). Condition repo...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Louis XIV Child King 17/18th Century Paint Oil on canvas French school
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Portrait of Louis XIV as a child (Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 1638 – Versailles, 1715) French painter active between the 17th and 18th centuries Oil on canvas 64 x 49 cm. In frame 79...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Saint Jerome Venetian School Paint Oil on canvas Old master 16/17th Century Art
By Jacopo Negretti, known as Palma the Younger (Venice 1544 - 1628)
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Venetian school of the end of the 16th century Circle of Jacopo Negretti, known as Palma the Younger (Venice 1544 - 1628) Saint Jerome Penitent Oil painting on canvas 85 x 64 cm. - In frame 97 x 76 cm. This splendid painting, which offers us an intense representation of San Girolamo...
Category

16th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

18th Century European Portrait of Saint John the Baptist as a Child.
Located in SANTA FE, NM
18th Century European Portrait of a Child Saint John the Baptist Oil on Canvas 19 x 14 1/4 inches This lovely and sensitively painting has been examined by a professional restorer w...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

C19th Portrait Princesse de Joinville of Brazil - Spectacular fit for a palace
By Henri d Ainecy Montpezat
Located in London, GB
Portrait of Princess de Joinville riding a Bay Horse Henri d’Aincy, Le Comte Monpezat (French 1817-1859) Painted circa 1837-9 oil on canvas 113 x 92 inches (including frame) 92 x 70 inches (unframed) Provenance – from a private royal collection This magnificent portrait depicts Princess de Joinville, the daughter of Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil and the King of Portugal. Through her illustrious family she was directly related Alexander III and Nicholas II of Russia and the Russian royal family, as well as to many of the great ruling families of Europe. The work clearly confirms Monpezat as one of the most accomplished equestrian portrait painters in France in the early nineteenth century. In terms of scale, quality and dramatic power, it must surely be considered amongst his finest works. The stance of the powerful thoroughbred - in half rear - emphasises the calm nature and courage of the Princess. Francisca of Brazil (1824-98) married a son of Louis Philippe I, the King of the French, and had three children. Born at the Imperial Palace of Saint Christopher, her youngest brother was the future Pedro II...
Category

1830s Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Still Life of Flowers and fruit - Dutch Old Master c1700 floral art oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
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 Paintings

Materials

Oil

Deposition Atala De Roussy-trioson Paint Oil on canvas 19/20th Century French
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
The deposition of Atala Follower of Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (Montargis, 1767 - Paris, 1824) 19th-20th century Oil on canvas 47 x 65 cm. - Framed 67 x 84 cm The propos...
Category

Late 19th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

17th Century Dutch Old Master Ink Drawing Christ on the Cross Many Figures 1674
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Christ on the Cross attributed to Jan Luyken (Dutch, 1649–1712) inscribed 1674 upper corner pencil drawing, watercolor and ink wash on paper over oard, framed framed: 12 x 11 inches ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Color Pencil, Ink, Watercolor

Travellers and Dogs in Landscape, Ruins on Right - Dutch Old Master oil painting
By Pieter Wouwerman
Located in Hagley, England
This lovely Dutch Old Master oil painting is attributed to artist Pieter Wouwerman. Painted circa 1660 it is figurative landscape with horseback travellers and their dogs in the foreground with ruins on their right. Beyond is a river and hilly landscape, all in the fading light of approaching dusk. There are some superb details making this an excellent Dutch Golden Age oil painting. Provenance: Devonshire estate. Condition. Oil on canvas, 24 inches by 20 inches and in good condition. Frame. Housed in a complementary gilt frame, 31 inches by 27 inches and in good condition. Pieter Wouwerman (1623-1682) was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. He was born in Haarlem. According to Arnold Houbraken, a biographer of artists from the Dutch Golden Age, Pieter Wouwerman was the brother of the landscape painters Jan and Philips Wouwerman, who, like his more famous brother, made a living selling Italianate landscapes in the manner of Pieter van Laer...
Category

Mid-17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

17th Dutch Golden Age Old Master Oil on Wood Panel Mythological Nude in Woodland
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Mythological Figures in Woodland Glade Dutch School, late 17th century oil on wood panel, unframed panel: 11 x 9 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: minor surface sc...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Paintings

Materials

Oil

Old Masters paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Old Masters 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. If you’re looking to add paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of orange, blue, yellow and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Antonio Savisio, Pietro Colonna, Goyo Dominguez, and Nicolaes Maes. 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 4.5 inches across are also available. Prices for 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 $338 and tops out at $1,495,000, while the average work sells for $7,505.