Coronation of the Virgin 1903

Timothy Cole made this engraving, "Coronation of the Virgin," using a monochromatic palette of black and white, sometime between 1852 and 1931. Imagine the artist, Cole, hunched over his printing plate, carefully etching each line to create this vision of heavenly coronation. The Virgin Mary kneels, awaiting her crown, while Jesus and God the Father preside, floating on clouds amidst a gathering of angels. I wonder about Cole's thought process as he worked. Was he driven by faith, a desire to capture divine beauty, or simply the challenge of translating color into the stark language of black and white? The texture he achieves is remarkable, especially in the flowing robes and the ethereal clouds, giving the print a luminous quality. It reminds me of other artists who grapple with spiritual themes, each offering their unique perspective on the divine. Ultimately, art is a conversation across time, with each artist building upon the ideas and techniques of those who came before. This print invites us to contemplate not only the subject matter, but also the artist’s hand and the enduring power of images.