Louis Osman (30 January 1914 – 11 April 1996) was an English artist, architect,

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

, silversmith and medallist.''OSMAN, Louis'', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007, accessed 23 May 2013
/ref>Obituary, ''The Independent'', 17 April 1996, accessed 23 April 2013
/ref> He is notable for the gold coronet he designed and made for the investiture in 1969 of

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

. His work as a goldsmith puts him amongst the top artists in his field with his valuable and important works held in church, civic and private collections worldwide.

Early life

He was the son of Charles Osman of

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, Devon. He was educated at Hele's School in Exeter. In the 1930s he attended the Bartlett School of Architecture, part of

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, 1931, and also the Slade School of Art. He was a Donaldson Medallist of

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

in 1935. The winner of this medal is selected by the Bartlett School of Architecture to the student who graduates top of the class at Part I.

War service

During the Second World War he was a Major in the Intelligence Corps serving with the

Combined Operations Headquarters Combined Operations Headquarters was a department of the British War Office set up during Second World War to harass the Germans on the European continent by means of raids carried out by use of combined naval and army forces. History The comm ...

and

Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...

as a specialist in Air Photography. He also served on the Beach Reconnaissance Committee prior to

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

on 6 June 1944.

Career

In the late 1930s he took part in the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

and British School of Archæology expeditions to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. He also designed private and public buildings. After war service he worked in London designing buildings, furniture, tapestries, and glass including work in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, Lincoln, Ely,

and

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

Cathedrals. He also did work for the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

at Staunton Harold Church in Ashby de la Zouch. During the 1970s he and his wife lived at Canons Ashby House in Northamptonshire. Whilst there, he made the crown, with his enamelist wife, which was used at the investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales. In 1976, they also made the gold enamelled casket holding

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...

on view in the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

, Washington, DC for the United States Bicentennial.

Personal life

In 1940 he married Dilys Roberts of

Rotherfield Rotherfield is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is one of the largest parishes in East Sussex. There are three villages in the parish: Rotherfield, Mark ...

, East Sussex and they had one daughter.

Selected works

;Architecture * The Old Court at Winterbrook House, Wallingford, for

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

and Max Mallowan, with whom he was in Syria (1939) *

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public square, public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square ...

, London. Restoration and improvements to numbers 11–14 following bomb damage, a

Convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

and installation of Epstein's Madonna and Child statue. (1950) * Newnham College, Cambridge, Principal's Lodging, with sculptures by Geoffrey Clarke and designed like a tiny Italian Renaissance palazzo. (1958) * Restoration of the Georgian garden 'Birdcage' arbour at

Melbourne Hall Melbourne Hall is a Georgian style country house in Melbourne, Derbyshire, previously owned by the 2nd Viscount Melbourne, British Prime Minister from 1835 to 1841. The house is now owned by the 14th Marquess of Lothian and is open to the pu ...

. (1958) * Ranston House, Dorset – almost total rebuild of a Georgian mansion. (1961–63) * Staunton Harold Church now owned by the National Trust. * A staircase 5 ft wide in green oak for Lady Hollenden in Gloucestershire. (1985) ;Unexecuted architectural works * Design for rebuilding of St John's Smith Square as a concert Hall with a ceiling by Picasso. *

St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall (also known as The Hall and Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university" and was the las ...

a tall cantilevered tower. ;Ecclesiastical * Shere Church 14th century glass and chancel fittings renewed in 1956, together with altar frontals and altar cross and candlesticks. *

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...

- treasury (1960) *

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 67 ...

– a new high altar cross with central crucifix by Graham Sutherland now in the Dallas Museum. (1964) *

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The presen ...

– a new high altar cross, now in St Gabriel's Chapel ;Gold and silver working * A very heavy cast silver wine mug for Sir Henry Tizard to use at

Goldsmiths' Hall Goldsmiths' Hall is a Listed building#Categories of listed building, Grade I listed building at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street in the City of London. It has served as an assay office and the headquarters of London's goldsmith gu ...

. (1958) * Coronet of Charles, Prince of Wales (1969)Picture of coronet and the investiture in the Royal Collection
/ref> * A lectern for the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

(1976). * Donald Reid Medal for the

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public university, public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a constituent college, member institution of the University of London that specialises in public hea ...

. * 1971 Gold Exhibition at

with 105 exhibits by Osman. * 1974 Exhibition of 131 pieces at Canons Ashby.

References