There is already a thread for vintage art (Seeking New Designs made from Vintage Art), this one is for really old art, historical paintings and drawings, art history stuff.
This is also a thread were you can show off your digital restoration work. I know that many of us do a lot of editing to optimize an old artwork for printing.
For example, with this sweet 19th century Madonna painting there was (among other things) an awful lot of cleaning…!
Ittenbach Beautiful madonna and child blessing Postcard
by haphaze
3 Likes
This one is somewhat outside your stated scope since it is late 19th century rather than very old and I greatly modified it rather than just restored it. But I’m going to throw it in because it’s a legit part of art history.
The artist Koloman Moser was part of the Vienna Secession, a late 19th and early 20th century art movement tangential to Art Nouveau that focused on merging form and function. The most famous artist of this movement was Klimt. As artists will do, they had an art journal which needed cover art. This cover art tended to be black and white to simplify mass printing. I took one and turned what should be a text box into a photo template and I added color. Moser would probably be aghast but oh well.
Mermaid by Koloman Moser With Photo
by KeeganCreations
2 Likes
Not outside my intended scope, @KeegansCreation . I also do a lot of modifications, often so much that I think the artist is going to turn over in his or her grave… I definitely know what you’re talking about there! 
In fact, I thought of adding something about modifications, but hesitated to make the description too long or too complicated. I just kind of hoped that people would still understand that this is a thread for modified art history works, too.
So your addition is very welcome! Beautiful coloring work!!
The word ‘old’ was just a way to say that this is not primarly a thread for our own paintings. There is another thread, Show us your art cards, that is serving that purpose - and I’ve noticed how easy it is to mistake one for the other. I, too, have done that many times.
P.S. I also modified the madonna painting a bit. The ‘cloud frame’ was too wide for our postcard template, so I made it a little more narrow. Doing that, I also had to add a few extra clouds…! 😨 To my defense, I usually add to my description that the design is inspired by a certain artwork…
WOMAN OF KALOCSA IN WORK-DAY DRESS FAUX CANVAS PRINT
by almawad
The original painting was made by the Stokes and published in a travel book about Hungary in 1909 . The book illustration was retouched later by Alma Wad
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Hungarian Peasant woman in her guba Canvas Print
by almawad
the young Franz Liszt -portrait Poster
by almawad
the young Franz Liszt -portrait lithographic art card by Louis Held ca. 1830,at an unknown location.
Love all of your creations with old art!
Every now and then I enjoy working with vintage illustrations, I just did a Save the Date card with drawings from the 17th century.
Elegant Botanical Vintage Flowers Painting Wedding Save The Date
by AtelierAdair
Vintage French children - croquet Canvas Print
by almawad
Vintage French children playing croquet next to a summer field . They are wearing elegant clothes while holding the mallet . The original vintage illustration was turned into a digital painting by Alma Wad . Wall art for those who love vintage sports / vintage flair / French theme
winter morning at the Mount Fuji Faux Canvas Print
by almawad
Faux canvas print featuring a 19th century landscape by Hokusai , the Japanese artist . There are men and women at a tea house looking at Mount Fuji in the morning after a snowfall.One of them is pointing to some birds flying in the sky .
Under the Mannen Bridge by Hokusai Poster
by almawad
Under the Mannen Bridge at Fukagawa by Hokusai, 1760-1849, artist .From the series: Fugaku sanjūrokkei : 36 views of Mount Fuji. It shows a high-arched bridge with grand monumental character spanning a river .A fisherman and his boat in the foreground, a view of Mount Fuji in the background.
A chalk drawing about falling asleep. Not always very easy to surrender into another reality…
Simeon Solomon Night and her child Sleep CC0270 Postcard
by carulcards
All of these are available on other products
Pirate Shakespeare Beer Stein
Vote for George Washington Button
And if old photos count:
Vote for Abraham Lincoln Button
Art restoration note: nothing major, but I had to recreate Lincoln’s right arm, because it was cut off in the original photo.
1 Like
The Great Wave - vintage Japanese art by the19th century artist Katsushika Hokusai .
