18th Century Art
The 18th century, also known as the Age of Enlightenment, saw the flourishing of Rococo elegance and the emergence of Neoclassicism. This period celebrated reason, refinement, and classical ideals while producing ornate decorative arts and grand historical paintings.
Historical Context
The Enlightenment emphasized reason, science, and classical learning. The century witnessed the French Revolution, the rise of the middle class, and growing interest in archaeology. These factors shaped artistic tastes from Rococo frivolity to Neoclassical severity.
Key Characteristics
- Rococo elegance and ornamental sophistication
- Neoclassical revival of Greco-Roman ideals
- Emphasis on reason, order, and moral virtue
- Development of portrait painting and genre scenes
- Grand historical and mythological subjects
Notable Artists
Related Art Movements
Explore 18th Century Artworks
10,000 artworks from 1700-1799 available in our collection
Mrs. Thomas Pechell (Charlotte Clavering, died 1841)
John Hoppner
1799
Major Thomas Pechell (1753–1826)
John Hoppner
1799
Madame Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord (1761–1835)
baron François Gérard
ca. 1804
Monsignor Giuseppe Spina (1756–1828)
Angelica Kauffmann
1798
Don Bernardo de Iriarte (1735–1814)
Goya
The Night-Hag Visiting Lapland Witches
Henry Fuseli
1796
The Sackville Children
John Hoppner
1796
Mrs. John Garden (Ann Garden, 1769–1842) and Her Children, John (1796–1854) and Ann Margaret (born 1793)
John Hoppner
1796 or 1797
William Forsyth (1749–1814)
Sir Henry Raeburn
ca. 1800
Prince Holding a Falcon
Unknown Artist
ca 1820
Portrait of a Prince (Possibly Mohammad Mirza)
Unknown Artist
ca. 1820
Self-Portrait
George Romney
1795
Mrs. Whaley (died 1798, Isle of Man)
George Chinnery
Mrs. Richard Bache (Sarah Franklin, 1743–1808)
John Hoppner
1793
Joanna de Silva
William Wood
1792
Sebastián Martínez y Pérez (1747–1800)
Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)
1792
Conversation Piece (The Sense of Smell)
Jan Ekels the Younger
probably 1791
Self-Portrait with a Harp
Rose Adélaïde Ducreux
1791
Portrait of a Woman; (reverse, now covered by relining canvas) Study of a Child's Head
John Hoppner
1790s
Elizabeth Farren (born about 1759, died 1829), Later Countess of Derby
Sir Thomas Lawrence
1790
John Julius Angerstein (1736–1823)
Sir Thomas Lawrence
Mrs. Richard Alexander Oswald (Louisa Johnston, ?born about 1760, died 1797)
Sir Henry Raeburn
ca. 1794
The Grandchildren of Sir William Heathcote, 3rd Baronet
William Owen
The Triumph of Aemilius Paulus
Carle (Antoine Charles Horace) Vernet
1789
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