Timothy Cole 1892 Signed Limited Edition Japan Pro

Updated September 18, 2026

An important and scarce 19th-century American wood engraving by Timothy Cole (American, 1852-1931), Battle of Saint Ephesius, after the celebrated medieval Italian master Spinello Aretino (c. 1346-1410/11), presented here as a hand-pulled Japan paper proof from the exceptionally limited 1892 edition of only 125 impressions. Signed in graphite "Timothy Cole" beneath the image at lower right, the work belongs to Cole's acclaimed Old Italian Masters project, the ambitious body of engravings through which he translated major works of early Italian painting into the extraordinarily exacting medium of reproductive wood engraving. The composition reproduces Spinello Aretino's dramatic Battle of St. Ephesius Against the Pagans of Sardinia from the monumental fresco cycle in the Camposanto at Pisa, its dense collision of mounted warriors, armored soldiers, lances, horses and fallen figures rendered with remarkable precision, tonal subtlety and narrative energy. Cole's engraving was originally published in The Century Magazine in June 1889; this special proof issue followed in 1892. The printed statement visible at lower left identifies the impression as having been "taken by hand on Japan paper" and as one of just 125 copies printed from the original blocks and plates - a materially more desirable format for collectors than ordinary period reproductive impressions. The National Gallery of Art dates the work 1889/1892, identifies J. C. Bauer as printer, and catalogues the composition as Smith 1925, no. 211; its collection includes another impression of Battle of Saint Ephesius. The Metropolitan Museum of Art likewise records the composition within its Old Italian Masters, I, Engraved by Timothy Cole, Japan Proofs group, identifying it as the engraving after Spinello Aretino's Battle of St. Ephesius against the Pagans of Sardinia and documenting its original appearance in The Century Magazine in June 1889. These institutional holdings underscore the recognized place of Cole's Old Italian Masters engravings within the history of late-19th-century American printmaking. Particularly appealing here is the convergence of several attributes sought by serious print collectors: an autograph Timothy Cole signature, a documented edition of only 125 hand-pulled Japan proofs, an Old Master source of considerable art-historical importance, a named period printer, and a composition represented in major American museum collections. The visible impression retains excellent linear definition and a broad tonal range, particularly through the densely worked cavalry and architectural passages. The sheet shows gentle age-related cockling or planar undulation and minor handling evidence visible through the mat, consistent with a thin Japan paper impression of this period; not examined outside the mat. Mat dimensions: 19 3/4" x 17 1/4". A compelling opportunity to acquire a signed, limited-edition example of Timothy Cole's technically sophisticated Old Italian Masters engravings,

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