The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

The Delphian Sibyl

1890

Timothy Cole

(American, 1852–1931)

after Michelangelo Buonarroti

(Italian, 1475–1564)
America
wood engraving
Gift of Mrs. Walter H. Merriam 1932.598
Catalogue raisonné: Smith 240
Location: Not on view

Description

In the 1800s many artists were inspired by the Italian Renaissance, seeing in it the clarity and classical ideals they valued. Timothy Cole traveled to Europe in 1883 for a commission to engrave images after Italian Renaissance works for an audience in the United States. This wood engraving reproduces one of Michelangelo’s monumental sibyls from the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Cole was celebrated for working directly from the originals. For example, the fine point of the engraving tool allowed Cole to create detail such as the faint fissures running across the Delphian Sibyl’s face and left arm that mimic cracks in the fresco.
  • ?-1932
    Mrs. Walter H. Merriam, Cleveland Heights, OH
    December 22, 1932
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Master/Apprentice: Imitation and Inspiration in the Renaissance. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 13, 2019-February 23, 2020).
    The Grand Tour. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 15, 1985-February 2, 1986).
  • {{cite web|title=The Delphian Sibyl|url=false|author=Timothy Cole, Michelangelo Buonarroti|year=1890|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1932.598