Old Italian Masters
Medium
Graphic Arts-Print
Classification
Graphic Arts-Print
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum acquisition
Accession Number
1974.39.16
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Old Italian Masters** by Timothy Cole is a captivating graphic arts print housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, acquired as part of its museum holdings. Created by the renowned American engraver Timothy Cole (1852–1931), this work exemplifies his mastery in wood engraving—a technique that allowed for intricate, high-fidelity reproductions of renowned paintings. Though the exact date is unknown, Cole's career peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when he brought Europe's artistic treasures to American audiences through magazines like *The Century*. The title...
About the Artist
Timothy Cole
Timothy Cole (1852–1931) was one of the most celebrated wood engravers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, renowned for his extraordinary ability to translate the tonal richness of Old Master paintings into the exacting medium of engraved wood. Born in London, England, Cole emigrated with his family to the United States in 1858. He began his career as a wood engraver in Chicago, but t...