The Voyage of Life: Old Age
by Thomas Cole, 1842
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1842
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 134.3 × 195.3 cm (52.9 × 76.9 in)
Cite or Embed This Work
APA · MLA · Chicago1-click academic citation and embeddable “On View” museum badge for articles, syllabi, and research.
In the final painting of Thomas Cole's Voyage of Life, the voyager has reached old age. His boat, battered by life's journey, drifts on calm, dark waters. The guardian angel returns, now clearly visible, pointing upward toward a heavenly light breaking through the clouds.
Cole shows the voyager looking up with peaceful acceptance. The hourglass that appeared on the boat's prow throughout the series now has its sand run out. Angels descend from a golden sky, welcoming the soul to eternal life.
The four paintings at the National Gallery of Art form one of the most important American paintings series of the 19th century.
The Voyage of Life Series by Thomas Cole
More by Thomas Cole
View all →F
Falls of the Kaaterskill
Thomas Cole
Private Collection, Unknown
T
The Clove, Catskills (Double impact)
Thomas Cole
New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT, New Britain
L
Landscape Composition. St John in the Wilderness
Thomas Cole
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford
V
View in the White Mountains
Thomas Cole
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford
Also at National Gallery of Art
View all →G
![Gian Federico Madruzzo Oil Canvas Giovanni Battista[1] by Giovanni Battista Moroni](https://masterpiece-locator.vercel.app/apps/masterpieces/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyfndmpigludzuzjjdfce.supabase.co%2Fstorage%2Fv1%2Fobject%2Fpublic%2Fartwork-images%2Fartwork-wiki%2Fgiovanni-battista-moroni-gian-federico-madruzzo-oil-canvas-giovanni-battist.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
Gian Federico Madruzzo Oil Canvas Giovanni Battista[1]
Giovanni Battista Moroni
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
D
Dancer in pink dress
Edgar Degas
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
H
Holy Family
Bronzino
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
T
The Harbor at Lorient
Berthe Morisot
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Related Works
Works that share an artist, movement, museum, genre, palette or theme with The Voyage of Life: Old Age.
- Same artist
- Same movement
The Course of Empire: Destruction
Thomas Cole, 1836
- Same artist
- Same movement
The Oxbow
Thomas Cole, 1836
- Same artist
- Same movement
View on Lake Winnipiseogee
Thomas Cole
- Same movement
- Same museum
Among the Sierra Nevada, California
Albert Bierstadt, 1868
- Same movement
Niagara
Frederic Edwin Church, 1857
- Same movement
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Emanuel Leutze, 1851
- Same movement
Heart of the Andes
Frederic Edwin Church, 1859
- Same movement
Fur Traders Descending the Missouri
George Caleb Bingham, 1845
- Same movement
Barge Haulers on the Volga
Ilya Repin, 1873
- Same movement
Fishing Boats at Capri
Albert Bierstadt
- Same movement
Ship in the Arctic Ocean
Caspar David Friedrich
- Same movement
The Fighting Temeraire
J.M.W. Turner, 1839
About The Voyage of Life: Old Age
The golden light breaking through the clouds represents heaven and eternal salvation. Cole intended this as the spiritual reward for those who persevere through life's journey.
Yes, all four paintings are displayed together at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, allowing visitors to experience Cole's complete allegorical narrative.
Own Art Like This
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
Browse Collection