Portrait of Auguste Rodin - Timothy Cole

A masterful wood engraving by Timothy Cole, based on John Singer Sargent's 1884 portrait of the sculptor Auguste Rodin.

This wood engraving by Timothy Cole depicts the sculptor Auguste Rodin. Cole, a master of the wood engraving technique, created this work in 1926. It is based on the 1884 oil portrait of Rodin by John Singer Sargent. The original painting is held in the collection of the Musée Rodin in Meudon, France.

Cole was known for his ability to translate the tonal qualities of oil paintings into the precise, linear language of wood engraving. In this print, he employs a sophisticated system of lines to replicate the soft focus and atmospheric lighting of Sargent's brushwork. The background features fine, rhythmic hatching that creates a sense of depth, while the subject's face is rendered with careful attention to the play of light across his features and his characteristic beard. The engraving captures the intensity of Rodin's gaze, reflecting the psychological depth present in the original painting.

Timothy Cole spent much of his career reproducing European masterpieces for American periodicals, a practice that brought high-quality art to a wider audience. His technical skill allowed him to achieve subtle gradations of tone that were previously thought impossible in wood engraving. This print is a fine example of his mature style, demonstrating his control over the medium and his sensitivity to the nuances of the portraiture he interpreted. The inscription at the bottom indicates that this specific impression was a gift from the artist to J.R. Fox, providing a direct link to the provenance of the piece. The work remains a clear demonstration of the intersection between nineteenth-century painting and the tradition of reproductive printmaking.