Sir Francis Cook

Description

The Barons of Cook were great collectors:

Francis Cook (1st Viscount of Monserrate) was born in London in 1817 into a wealthy family. His father had successfully founded a wholesale business, allowing the family to move to an estate in Kent. In 1839, he was sent on a tour and had the opportunity to visit Egypt, the United States, Spain, Turkey, Portugal, and other countries. It was in Lisbon that he met the daughter of an English merchant, Emily Lucas, whom he married. A few years later, they moved to Doughty House on Richmond Hill. After the deaths of his older brother and father, Francis took over the family business, becoming one of the richest individuals in England.

During his travels as a young man, he began collecting works of art. However, after settling at Doughty House, his personal collection expanded significantly, acquiring Etruscan sarcophagi, Roman busts, marble sculptures, and Greek pottery, among many other pieces. The collection grew so vast that in 1885 he had to add a gallery to his residence to display the artworks. By the early 20th century, the collection had gained great renown, partly due to the catalogue compiled by Herbert Cook in collaboration with art historians. Although his initial intention was to keep the collection intact, financial difficulties in the 1930s forced him to sell many of the pieces. During World War II, Doughty House suffered severe damage from bombing, and the baron was compelled to relocate to Jersey (Danziger, 2004). Today, the artworks that once comprised the collection are scattered across various museums and institutions, such as the National Gallery of Scotland, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Louvre, among others.

This collecting hobby continued with Sir Frederick Cook (1844-1920), Sir Herbert Cook (1868-1939) and Sir Francis Cook (1907-1978). They all kept some of the works of art they acquired at Doughty House.