Monday, April 2, 2012

1895 Wood Engraving Timothy Cole Rembrandt Portrait Woman Dutch Golden Age Jewel - Original Engraving

1895 Wood Engraving Timothy Cole Rembrandt Portrait Woman Dutch Golden Age Jewel - Original Engraving Review



1895 Wood Engraving Timothy Cole Rembrandt Portrait Woman Dutch Golden Age Jewel - Original Engraving Feature

  • Product Type: Original Engraving; Monochrome
  • Grade: Near Mint / Very Fine+
  • Dimensions: Approximately 6.25 x 7.75 inches; 16 x 20 cm
  • Authentication: Dual Serial-Numbered Certificates of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
  • Packaged in custom sleeve w/ archival black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)
This is an original 1895 monochrome wood-engraved photograph of Rembrandt's "Portrait of a Woman" engraved by Timothy Cole. Due to the unique nature of this piece, a full description of the process and artist are shown below.

This piece was illustrated by Cole, Timothy. Artist signature in print - bottom left of image.

Cole, Timothy

Timothy Cole (1852 - 1931) was one of the most successful and talented wood engravers of the late nineteenth century, and was one of the last great American wood engraving masters working in an increasingly rare and obsolete art form. His work was highly regarded for its meticulous detail, exactness, and range of subject matter, making Cole one of the most sought after wood engravers in the publishing industry at the time. His work exemplifies absolute fidelity to the form, texture, massing, and light apparent in the originals from which he worked, yet captures an insight, spirit, and meaning that would simply go unnoticed by a less talented and insightful engraver. Born in 1852 in London, Cole immigrated to the United States at the age of five. At sixteen years of age, he was apprenticed to Bond & Chandler, a Chicago, Illinois engraving firm. At the age of eighteen, Cole abandoned engraving, pursuing a career in music. However, following the Chicago Fire in 1871, Cole and his family found themselves possessionless and homeless, forcing Cole to return to engraving. He found employment in New York City as a technical engraver for periodicals, including Scientific American.

In 1874 Cole joined the staff of Scribner's Monthly, a predecessor to Century Magazine (The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine). In 1883, Cole was sent to Europe to engrave a set of blocks after old masters' work throughout Europe. This initial foray was immensely popular with readers and proved successful for Century.


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