William R. O’Donovan

William R. O'Donovan was a distinguished American sculptor and art critic who made the bronze medallion of Mme. Blavatsky.

Assessment on the Portrait of the Yogi Tiravalla

He examined the Portrait of the Yogi Tiravalla phenomenally produced by Mme. Blavatsky and wrote to the Editor of the Spiritualist attesting that it was a real phenomena and of a very high quality:

The work is of a kind that could not have been done by any living artist known to any of us. It has all the essential qualities which distinguish the portraits by Titian, Masaccio, and Raphael: namely, individuality of the profoundest kind, and consequently breadth and unity of as perfect a quality as I can conceive. I may safely assert that there is no artist who has given intelligent attention to portraiture, who would not concur with [Thomas Le Clear|Mr. Le Clear]] and myself in the opinion which we have formed of this remarkable work; and if it was done, as it is claimed to have been done, I am at utter loss to account for it.