'The Music Contest between Apollo and Pan', Renaissance Mythology, Satyr, Hermes
By Flemish School, 17th Century
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
An early 17th-century Flemish School oil on copper showing the mythological contest between Apollo and Pan in which the mountain god, Tmolus, gives judgement for Apollo. Unsigned. Pa...
Copper
Hercules and Omphale, Old Master Painting, Mannerism, Baroque, Mythology, Prague
Located in Greven, DE
Hercules and Omphale Oil on panel, 52 x 41 cm According to legend, Hercules had to make atonement and became a slave to the Lydian queen Omphale. When she found out who her slave wa...
Oil, Panel
Rinaldo and Armida in Armida's Enchanted Garden Baroque Italy 1700 Mythology
Located in Eltville am Rhein, DE
Domenichino, actually Domenico Zampieri (after) Bologna 1581 – 1641 Naples Rinaldo and Armida in Armida's Enchanted Garden, circa 1700 Oil on canvas (doubled) Size: 80 x 138 cm ...
Oil
Sold
H 21.26 in W 27.96 in
17th century Italian Old Master painting - Europa and the bull - mythology
Located in Aartselaar, BE
17th century Italian Old Master painting depicting Europa and the bull Titian painted the painting "Europa and the bull" in ca. 1560-1562, it is now housed in the Isabella Stewart G...
Canvas, Oil
$9,750
H 40 in W 32 in D 2 in
Stunning Art Deco Young Woman Portrait Framed Signed Rare Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Exquisite antique portrait painting of a young fashionable woman. Framed. Oil on canvas. Signed. Image size, 31H by 24L.
Canvas, Oil
$2,750 / item
H 17.72 in Dm 14.97 in
Soda Blown Murano Glass High Coffee Table in Amber by Yiannis Ghikas
By Miniforms, Yiannis Ghikas
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Soda was born upside-down, with a puff of air. It weighs 20 kilos, and it is blown, drawn out and shaped by three master glassmakers. The result is a single volume of glass with thre...
Blown Glass
$7,064Sale Price|20% Off
H 37 in W 58 in
Huge 18th Century Italian Oil Painting Shipping in Merchant Port Many Figures
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Merchants Port Italian School, 18th century oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 37 x 58 inches canvas: 32 x 52 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good a...
Oil, Canvas
$1,086Sale Price|20% Off
H 24 in W 36 in
Large Mythological Classical Oil Painting Winged Angels with Naked Figure in Sky
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Winged Angels European artist, late 20th century (possibly a copy after an earlier painting) oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 24 x 36 inches provenance: private collection, Wiltshire...
Oil
$188,552
H 98.43 in W 21.26 in D 13 in
Exceptional Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze and Malachite Grandfather Clock
Located in London, GB
Exceptional Louis XVI style gilt bronze and malachite grandfather clock French, late 19th century Measures: Height 250cm, width 54cm, depth 33cm This superb longcase clock is a ...
Malachite, Ormolu
$1,505Sale Price|20% Off
H 14 in W 17 in
18th Century French Oil Artist Painting Nude Model Classical Garden Scene
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Artist and his Model French School, 18th century oil on canvas, framed Framed: 14 x 17 inches Board: 11 x 14 inches Provenance: private collection, France Condition: very good co...
Oil
The Nativity of Christ
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Anonymous 15th Century Italian, Probably Milan area The Nativity of Christ Pigments, ink and gold leaf on vellum Unsigned as is always the case with illuminated manuscripts The Virgi...
Pigment
$3,450
H 15 in W 10 in D 0.65 in
Wonderful French Ormolu Purple Enamel Gilt Bronze Bow Picture Frame Miniature
Located in Roslyn, NY
A wonderful and rare French ormolu bronze and purple enamel picture frame with a miniature on the top with bows and tassels. Frame: 10" W X 15" H Picture:7" W X 9&q...
Bronze, Enamel
$15,085Sale Price|20% Off
H 38.98 in W 45.28 in
Artist's Studio Thomas Paint 17/18th Century Oil on canvas Old master Flemisch
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Gerard Thomas (Antwerp 1663-1720) Attributed to The Artist's Studio Oil on canvas (99 x 115 cm - in frame 70 x 86 cm) This fascinating painting, depicting the interior of an ar...
Oil
$2,950
H 14 in W 12 in
Italian School, Late 17th Century Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane
Located in Woodbury, CT
Italian School, Late 17th Century (circa 1670–1700) Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane Oil on panel, in a carved and gilded Baroque frame The painting is unsigned A moving devotiona...
Copper
$7,250
H 16 in W 22 in
17th century follower of Rubens, two military men on horse back in a landscape
Located in Woodbury, CT
17th century English/Dutch School, from the Circle of Sir Peter Paul Rubens A very interesting and well-painted 17th-century oil on canvas of two men seated on horseback in a landsc...
Canvas, Oil
$2,560Sale Price|20% Off
H 39.37 in Dm 17.72 in
Stunning Pedestal, Column, Pillar, star decor, Art Deco, ~1920, France
Located in Wien, AT
Very special pedestal, made in the era of Art Deco, around 1920 in France. This column has a particularly beautiful structure, a stepped round base that merges into a fluted colum...
Maple, Nutwood
$18,000 / set
H 25 in W 8 in D 8 in
Pair of 19th Century French Neoclassical Obelisks, Ormolu and Marble
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
Pair 19th Century French Monumental Obelisks. Exquisite design, must see photos.
Marble, Ormolu
Christmas Cover Design for Life Magazine
By Maxfield Parrish
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil, Ink and Gold Leaf on Paper Dimensions: 15.00" x 12.00" Signature: Signed Lower Center The present work was published as the cover of the December 2nd, 1899 issue of Lif...
Gold Leaf
$960Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 8.67 in W 13.39 in D 13.39 in
Cast Bronze Octopus Sculpture — Dark Patina Marine Form with Expressive Tentacle
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
A striking cast bronze octopus sculpture, distinguished by its deep, richly aged patina and bold, expressive form. The piece captures the quiet intelligence and fluid movement of the...
Bronze
19th Century English Chinoiserie Ladies Secretaire Writing Table
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Extraordinary 19th century English ladies secretaire desk or writing table. The two part desk was made in the Chinoiserie revival period of Europe in the mid-19th century. The desk f...
Brass
Figurative art, as opposed to abstract art, retains features from the observable world in its representational depictions of subject matter. Most commonly, figurative paintings reference and explore the human body, but they can also include landscapes, architecture, plants and animals — all portrayed with realism.
While the oldest figurative art dates back tens of thousands of years to cave wall paintings, figurative works made from observation became especially prominent in the early Renaissance. Artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and other Renaissance masters created naturalistic representations of their subjects.
Pablo Picasso is lauded for laying the foundation for modern figurative art in the 1920s. Although abstracted, this work held a strong connection to representing people and other subjects. Other famous figurative artists include Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. Figurative art in the 20th century would span such diverse genres as Expressionism, Pop art and Surrealism.
Today, a number of figural artists — such as Sedrick Huckaby, Daisy Patton and Eileen Cooper — are making art that uses the human body as its subject.
Because figurative art represents subjects from the real world, natural colors are common in these paintings. A piece of figurative art can be an exciting starting point for setting a tone and creating a color palette in a room.
Browse an extensive collection of figurative paintings on 1stDibs.
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A 2001 canvas turns forest into color and line — a confident gesture from a fiercely independent artist.
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The Italian-American’s 2020 abstract painting “The Hoe” personifies his “art of not knowing.”
Get to know the key movements and artists who have influenced visual culture for more than a century.