Thomas (1801) Cole Sold at Auction Prices

Painter, Wood cutter, b. 1801 - d. 1848

Artist Thomas Cole painted the wild landscapes of America with a roughness that mirrored reality. Felled trees, rocky paths, natural imperfections, and zigzagging rivers were all included in raw detail in Thomas Cole's paintings. His realism in landscapes made him a pioneer during the 1800s, but prior to this work, his landscape paintings often looked idealistically picture perfect. Some of the most recognizable and sought-after pieces of Thomas Cole's artwork were produced when he traveled to Europe in 1829.

Thomas Cole's paintings reflect a less developed America and Europe, providing a glimpse into the past. Cole eventually went on to help cofound the National Academy of Art, and he mentored other artists toward the end of his career. You can view other historical landscape paintings for sale online to find your next great work of art.

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sold
Sep. 19, 2023
Thomas Cole (British/American, 1801-1848) Wild Landscape with a Figure 7 x 5 1/2 in. framed 14 1/4 x 12 1/8 x 1 1/2 in.
Est: $1,200 - $1,800
Thomas Cole (British/American, 1801-1848) Wild Landscape with a Figure initialed 'T.C' (lower right), inscribed 'By/Tom Cole/artist' (on the reverse) watercolor and ink on paper 7 x 5 1/2 in. framed 14 1/4 x 12 1/8 x 1 1/2 in.
Bonhams
sold
Sep. 19, 2023
Thomas Cole (British/American, 1801-1848) Classical Ruins Sketch 6 x 12 in. framed 13 3/4 x 19 3/4 x 22 3/4 in.
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Thomas Cole (British/American, 1801-1848) Classical Ruins Sketch signed 'T. Cole' (lower right), titled on a presentation plaque and on an exhibition label (affixed to the frame backing) oil on canvas mounted to panel 6 x 12 in. framed 13 3/4 x 19 3/4 x 22 3/4 in.
Bonhams
sold
Aug. 26, 2023
THOMAS COLE, (NY/UK, 1801-1848)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Chiarascuro Landscape Study of a dramatic rock formation pierced by a river, white and black chalk on tan paper, signed and dated lower right "T. Cole, 1843". In gold cove beaded frame, matted under plexiglass, OS: 25" x 19", SS: 17" x 11".
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
sold
Aug. 15, 2023
THOMAS COLE CLOCK, U.K. FINEST CLOCK MAKER.
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
THOMAS COLE CLOCK, U.K. FINEST CLOCK MAKER. A FINE ENGRAVED GILT BRASS GIANT OCTAGONAL STRUT TIMEPIECE Thomas Cole, London, no. 1457, retailed by Tegelsten & Thornley, St. Petersburg Date: Mid 19th century Movement: Going barrel, vertical platform lever escapement with gold three arm balance Dial: Silvered oval with engraved floral border, roman chapter ring enclosing engraved strap work in the center, blue spade hands Case: Octagonal bezel enclosing gilt dial mask, conforming back plate with block feet engraved with further flowers and strap work, folding support Signed: By Cole on movement, numbered 1457 on both feet, retailer's signature on back plate. Size: 12 ½ in (32cm) high.
Antique Place
sold
Aug. 04, 2023
Thomas Cole Clockmaking
Est: AUD50 - AUD80
Thomas Cole and Victorian Clockmaking by JB Hawkins. Published by Printed Privately for the Author, Sydney, 1975.
Sydney Rare Book Auctions
sold
Jul. 25, 2023
THOMAS COLE CLOCK, U.K. FINEST CLOCK MAKER.
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
THOMAS COLE CLOCK, U.K. FINEST CLOCK MAKER. A FINE ENGRAVED GILT BRASS GIANT OCTAGONAL STRUT TIMEPIECE Thomas Cole, London, no. 1457, retailed by Tegelsten & Thornley, St. Petersburg Date: Mid 19th century Movement: Going barrel, vertical platform lever escapement with gold three arm balance Dial: Silvered oval with engraved floral border, roman chapter ring enclosing engraved strap work in the center, blue spade hands Case: Octagonal bezel enclosing gilt dial mask, conforming back plate with block feet engraved with further flowers and strap work, folding support Signed: By Cole on movement, numbered 1457 on both feet, retailer's signature on back plate. Size: 12 ½ in (32cm) high.
Antique Place
sold
Jun. 02, 2023
Thomas Cole Clockmaking
Est: AUD80 - AUD120
Thomas Cole and Victorian Clockmaking by JB Hawkins. Published by Printed Privately for the Author, Sydney, 1975.
Sydney Rare Book Auctions
sold
Apr. 18, 2023
American Thomas Cole Frame
Est: $200 - $300
American, ca. 1840, in the style favored by Thomas Cole. Overall 39 1/2" x 47 1/2", rabbet 28" x 36", molding 6".
Old Kinderhook Auction Company
sold
Feb. 21, 2023
Painting after Thomas Cole (1801-1848 American). Oil on canvas unsigned in a period original frame. The background depicts a hunter with his dog wandering in the Catskills landscapes. 12" x 9"and 17"x14" framed
Est: $1,500 - $3,000
Painting after Thomas Cole (1801-1848 American). Oil on canvas unsigned in a period original frame. The background depicts a hunter with his dog wandering in the Catskills landscapes. 12" x 9"and 17"x14" framed
Bill Hood & Sons Arts & Antiques Auctions
sold
Feb. 15, 2023
19th Century Oil on Canvas - Castle Scene
Est: $300 - $500
19th Century Oil on Canvas by Thomas Cole (1801-1848). Depicting a castle on a hill near a lake. Signed lower middle. Has two tears. Frame has molding loss. Measures 17.5" tall x 24" wide. All invoices must be paid within 24 hours of the sale. This auction is Local Pick Up or Shipping with the Local UPS Store in Monmouth Junction, NJ. Local pickups are at our Monmouth Junction location on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday ONLY! All pickups are by appointment only. Any condition issues will be listed in the description. Please read the terms for full information.
Bodnar's Auction Sales
sold
Feb. 13, 2023
THOMAS COLE CLOCK, U.K. FINEST CLOCK MAKER.
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
THOMAS COLE CLOCK, U.K. FINEST CLOCK MAKER. A FINE ENGRAVED GILT BRASS GIANT OCTAGONAL STRUT TIMEPIECE Thomas Cole, London, no. 1457, retailed by Tegelsten & Thornley, St. Petersburg Date: Mid 19th century Movement: Going barrel, vertical platform lever escapement with gold three arm balance Dial: Silvered oval with engraved floral border, roman chapter ring enclosing engraved strap work in the center, blue spade hands Case: Octagonal bezel enclosing gilt dial mask, conforming back plate with block feet engraved with further flowers and strap work, folding support Signed: By Cole on movement, numbered 1457 on both feet, retailer's signature on back plate. Size: 12 ½ in (32cm) high.
Antique Place
sold
Dec. 20, 2022
THOMAS COLE CLOCK, U.K. FINEST CLOCK MAKER.
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
THOMAS COLE CLOCK, U.K. FINEST CLOCK MAKER. A FINE ENGRAVED GILT BRASS GIANT OCTAGONAL STRUT TIMEPIECE Thomas Cole, London, no. 1457, retailed by Tegelsten & Thornley, St. Petersburg Date: Mid 19th century Movement: Going barrel, vertical platform lever escapement with gold three arm balance Dial: Silvered oval with engraved floral border, roman chapter ring enclosing engraved strap work in the center, blue spade hands Case: Octagonal bezel enclosing gilt dial mask, conforming back plate with block feet engraved with further flowers and strap work, folding support Signed: By Cole on movement, numbered 1457 on both feet, retailer's signature on back plate. Size: 12 ½ in (32cm) high.
Antique Place
sold
Nov. 29, 2022
Erastus S. Field, "The Voyage of Life - Youth"
Est: $400 - $600
Attributed to Erastus Salisbury Field (American, 1805-1900), oil on canvas after Thomas Cole (American,1801-1848), "The Voyage of Life - Youth", 31" x 46" canvas.
Old Kinderhook Auction Company
sold
Nov. 22, 2022
THOMAS COLE CLOCK, U.K. FINEST CLOCK MAKER.
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
THOMAS COLE CLOCK, U.K. FINEST CLOCK MAKER. A FINE ENGRAVED GILT BRASS GIANT OCTAGONAL STRUT TIMEPIECE Thomas Cole, London, no. 1457, retailed by Tegelsten & Thornley, St. Petersburg Date: Mid 19th century Movement: Going barrel, vertical platform lever escapement with gold three arm balance Dial: Silvered oval with engraved floral border, roman chapter ring enclosing engraved strap work in the center, blue spade hands Case: Octagonal bezel enclosing gilt dial mask, conforming back plate with block feet engraved with further flowers and strap work, folding support Signed: By Cole on movement, numbered 1457 on both feet, retailer's signature on back plate. Size: 12 ½ in (32cm) high.
Antique Place
sold
Nov. 03, 2022
Thomas Cole American, 1801-1848 Tree By a Pond, circa 1830
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Thomas Cole American, 1801-1848 Tree By a Pond, circa 1830 Oil on board 4 1/2 x 3 3/8 inches Provenance: The artist The estate of the artist Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York Mark Borghi Fine Art, Inc., New York Exhibited: New York, Kennedy Galleries, Inc. An Exhibition of paintings by Thomas Cole N.A. from the Artist's Studio, Catskill, New York, Nov. 24 - Dec. 1964, no. 17, illus. in cat. p. 9 C Property from a Distinguished New York Collection
Doyle New York
sold
Sep. 22, 2022
THOMAS COLE Youth.
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
THOMAS COLE Youth. Oil on canvas, circa 1839-40. 265x210 mm; 10 1/4x8 1/4 inches. This work is likely a study for the red robed figure on the boat crossing the river in Cole's (1801-1848) oil painting The Voyage of Life: Youth, now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Provenance: Private collection, Birmingham, Michigan. Exhibited: "Side by Side", Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, New York, October 5-December 15, 1985, page 11, catalogue number 9. The Voyage of Life is a series of four paintings created by Cole in 1842, representing an allegory of the four stages of human life. The paintings, Childhood, Youth, Manhood, and Old Age, depict a voyager who travels in a boat on a river through the mid-19th-century American wilderness. In each painting the voyager rides the boat on the River of Life accompanied by a guardian angel. The landscape, each reflecting one of the four seasons of the year, plays a significant role in conveying the story. With each installment the boat's direction of travel is reversed from the previous picture. In childhood, the infant glides from a dark cave into a rich, green landscape. As a youth, the boy takes control of the boat and aims for a shining castle in the sky. In manhood, the adult relies on prayer and religious faith to sustain him through rough waters and a threatening landscape. Finally, the man becomes old, and the angel guides him to heaven across the waters of eternity. The Voyage of Life was well received by both critics and the public; the United States was experiencing the religious revival sometimes known as the Second Great Awakening. The four paintings were reproduced as engravings by James Smillie (1807–1885) after Cole's death and the engravings widely distributed in time for the Third Great Awakening, further bestowing the series the great prestige and popular acclaim it retains today.
Swann Auction Galleries
sold
Aug. 26, 2022
Thomas Cole (AM 1801-1848)
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
Thomas Cole (American 1801-1848) View of the Catskills oil on canvas unsigned . Cleaned and relined -repairs to original frame. 14 x 20" 21 x 27" as framed.
Merrill's Auctioneers & Appraisers
sold
Jul. 13, 2022
Thomas Cole, Manner of: Landscape with Village
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
Thomas Cole (British/American, 1801-1848) Manner of: Landscape with Village. Oil on canvas, signed lower right, in an ornate frame.
500 Gallery
sold
Mar. 24, 2022
Thomas Cole (1801-1848 )American Autumn Landscape
Est: $2,500 - $4,500
Thomas Cole (1801-1848 )AUTUMN LANDSCAPE Oil on Cardboard Signed and date ,measures 6"x7.5" inches
Florat Jewelry Corp
sold
Feb. 27, 2022
Thomas Cole (1801 - 1848) England
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
Thomas Cole (1801 - 1848) England Pencil on Paper Measure 6 3/4"in H x 7 1/4"in W and 12 1/4"in H x 13 1/2"in W with frame Known for: Landscape, history and allegory painting Biography: Thomas Cole (1801-1848) was born in Lancaster England. He was trained as an engraver, applying his skills as a wood block cutter in the calico fabric industry. Academically, Cole did not have formal art training, so his inspiration for paintings came from poetry and literature of the day. For professional reasons Cole moved onto New York City in 1825. His work quickly came to the attention of collectors and critics. From talk with many of his colleagues Cole realized that he needed to travel to Europe to observe first hand the great masters. He returned to his native England and then moved onto Paris and Rome, where he formulated richly aesthetic themes and ideas. Truly a romantic spirit, Thomas Cole sought to express elevated ideas through his painting. Cole quickly absorbed the lofty ideas of European history painting, and he encouraged Asher B. Durand and Frederic Church, the two painters that would continue in his tradition. Cole died, unexpectedly, after a brief and minor illness. Undeniably, his legacy left a firm foundation for the Hudson River School to build upon.
Coral Gables Auction
sold
Jan. 28, 2022
Thomas COLE: Framed Poster
Est: $50 - $100
Thomas Cole's "The Consummation of Empires" poster, in a gilt frame. [Art: 23 5/8" H x 26 1/2' W; Frame: 25 1/4" H x 29" W]. In good condition.
Roland Auctions NY
sold
Jan. 08, 2022
Manner of Thomas Cole (British/American, 1801-1848)
Est: $800 - $1,200
Manner of Thomas Cole (British/American, 1801-1848) Landscape with Village oil on canvas signed lower right 20 x 23 3/4 inches (frame) 11 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches (sight)
Fontaine's Auction Gallery
sold
Nov. 21, 2021
Thomas Cole (1801 - 1848) England
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
Thomas Cole (1801 - 1848) England Pencil on Paper Measure 6 3/4"in H x 7 1/4"in W and 12 1/4"in H x 13 1/2"in W with frame Known for: Landscape, history and allegory painting Biography: Thomas Cole (1801-1848) was born in Lancaster England. He was trained as an engraver, applying his skills as a wood block cutter in the calico fabric industry. Academically, Cole did not have formal art training, so his inspiration for paintings came from poetry and literature of the day. For professional reasons Cole moved onto New York City in 1825. His work quickly came to the attention of collectors and critics. From talk with many of his colleagues Cole realized that he needed to travel to Europe to observe first hand the great masters. He returned to his native England and then moved onto Paris and Rome, where he formulated richly aesthetic themes and ideas. Truly a romantic spirit, Thomas Cole sought to express elevated ideas through his painting. Cole quickly absorbed the lofty ideas of European history painting, and he encouraged Asher B. Durand and Frederic Church, the two painters that would continue in his tradition. Cole died, unexpectedly, after a brief and minor illness. Undeniably, his legacy left a firm foundation for the Hudson River School to build upon.
Coral Gables Auction
sold
Nov. 05, 2021
Thomas Cole (American, 1801-1848) River Landscape (American Lake in Summer) Oil
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
Thomas Cole (American, 1801-1848) River Landscape (American Lake in Summer) Oil on canvas 7-1/2 x 10-1/2 inches (19.1 x 26.7 cm) PROVENANCE: Private collection, Washington, Connecticut; Questroyal Fine Art, LLC, New York, acquired from the above, 2007; Private collection, East Coast, acquired from the above, 2008. We wish to thank noted Cole scholar Dr. Alan Wallach for providing the following essay. His report accompanies the lot: River Landscape is unsigned and undated. It's a highly detailed sketch but not a finished painting. In addition, its provenance is incomplete. According to Pavla Berghen-Wolf, a research associate at Questroyal Fine Art LLS, the painting was part of a private collection in Washington, Connecticut. In 2007, Questroyal acquired the painting, and in 2008 sold it to a collector in Riverside, Connecticut. Questroyal held the painting under the title Landscape (American Lake in Summer). Although it is impossible to trace the painting directly back to Thomas Cole, I believe it comes from his hand. The most immediate clue to Cole's authorship can be found in the sky. By the late 1830s, Cole had developed a formula for painting clouds in which a large cumulous cloud surmounts a long trailing cloud. Often the long trailing cloud is darker than the cumulous cloud as in Clouds (c. 1938, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) and Italian Coast Scene with Ruined Tower (1938, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC), and in the painting in question. In the latter, the underside of the cumulus cloud and trailing cloud are a combination of gray and bits of a reddish pink color, which can be seen elsewhere in the sky. I would add that the sky in River Landscape is not as luminous as the sky in some of Cole's paintings, but the touches of pink suggest the sort of sky he would have created had he brought the sketch to a higher state of finish. Cole's handling of trees furnishes another clue to his authorship. In his sketches and in some of his finished paintings, he would use a few touches of green paint to represent a tree silhouetted against the sky or against a more distant part of the landscape. This device appears in River Landscape and Clouds. Four other characteristics link the painting to Cole. First, although not Cole's uniquely, the artist often employed a compositional format in which one side of the composition is closed or near and the other side opens onto a larger space, a compositional format often found in classical baroque landscape paintings, for example in works by Claude, an artist Cole especially admired. Second, the artist's characteristic palette is very much in evidence in the grays, blues, pinks, and whites, of the sky, in the dark and light greens, browns, and touches of yellow in the landscape, and in the muted reflections of the entire color ensemble in the water. Third, Cole's distinctive touch appears throughout. It is present in areas in which paint is thinly applied and others in which the artist employs a thick impasto. Finally, the painting recapitulates Cole's insistence on including small details, a feature of such well-known works as The Oxbow, 1836, and View on the Catskill, Early Autumn, 1837 (both in the Metropolitan Museum of Art), his talent for miniaturization, and his habit of including barely-visible forms in his landscapes. . . . Taking into account the arguments I've set forth above, I can only conclude that Thomas Cole painted River Landscape. Alan Wallach Professorial Lecturer in Art History, George Washington University Ralph H. Wark Professor of Art and Art History and Professor of American Studies Emeritus The College of William and Mary Please note: My opin
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