Robert Langton Douglas (1 March 1864,

Lavenham Lavenham is a village, civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in the Babergh District, Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is noted for its Lavenham Guildhall, Guildhall, Little ...

– 14 August 1951,

Fiesole Fiesole () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times. ...

) was a British art critic, lecturer, author, and director of the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland () houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on Clare Street, Dublin, Clare Street. It ...

. He was nominated, thrice, for the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 10 – The Aceh Sultanate was fully annexed by the Dutch forces, deposing the last sultan, marking the end of the Aceh War that have lasted for al ...

and

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

Biography

Douglas was born in

, and educated at New College,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. He was for years a University Extension lecturer, and for a time was in holy orders in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

. From 1895 to 1900 he resided in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. While a chaplain there, he wrote a monograph on

Fra Angelico Fra Angelico, O.P. (; ; born Guido di Pietro; 18 February 1455) was a Dominican friar and Italian Renaissance painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Giorgio Vasari in his ''Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent" ...

in consultation with various scholars, including

Bernard Berenson Bernard Berenson (June 26, 1865 – October 6, 1959) was an American art historian specializing in the Renaissance. His book ''The Drawings of the Florentine Painters'' was an international success. His wife Mary is thought to have had a large ...

. He relinquished his church appointment in 1900 to become professor of Modern History at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, then returned to Italy in 1901 where he wrote ''A History of Siena''. He lectured on art at the

Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...

and the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

, was made

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

of the faculty of arts in 1901, and contributed to many magazines and reviews. At age 50, in 1914, Douglas enlisted in the British Army for

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and rose from private to staff captain and a position with the War Office in London. Douglas was awarded for his bravery in World War I. In 1916 Douglas was appointed director of the

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, but resigned in 1923 after a disagreement with its trustees. He settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1940, writing text for the Duveen art galleries. Known chiefly as an authority on

Sienese Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

art, his most important publications are an edition of Crowe and Cavalcaselle's ''History of Painting in Italy'' (1903, et. seq.), ''

'' (second edition, 1902), ''A History of

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

'' (1902), ''La Maioliche di Siena'' (1904) and ''Illustrated Catalogue of Pictures of Siena and Objects of Art'' (1904). Douglas was the father of

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Marshal of the Royal Air Force (MRAF) is the highest rank in the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF). In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), and to ...

Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside Marshal of the Royal Air Force William Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside, (23 December 1893 – 29 October 1969) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. After serving as a pilot, then a flight commander and finally as a squ ...

and Terence Wilmot Hutchison. Douglas's daughter Clare
the half-sister of Sholto Douglas
was the second wife of writer

J. D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger ( ; January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel '' The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger published several short stories in '' Story'' magazine in 1940, before serving in World Wa ...

Publications

* ''Tudor Translation Series'', 1898 * ''Fra Angelico'', G. Bell and Sons, London, 1900 (reprinted in 1902) * ''A History of Siena'', J. Murray, London, 1902 * ''A History of Painting in Italy, Umbria, Florence and Siena, from the Second to the Sixteenth Century'', J. Murray, London, 1903-1914 * ''La Maioliche di Siena'', 1904 * ''Illustrated Catalogue of Pictures of Siena and Objects of Art'', 1904. * ''Storia politica e sociale della Repubblica di Siena'', Editrice Libreria Senese, Siena, 1926 * ''Leonardo da Vinci: his Life and Pictures'', University of Chicago, 1944

References

* "Robert L. Douglas, British Art Expert," New York Times obituary, 16 August 1951, p. 24. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Robert Langton 1864 births 1951 deaths Military personnel from Cheshire People from Lavenham British Army personnel of World War I Royal Army Service Corps soldiers Royal Army Service Corps officers English art historians English people of Scottish descent Alumni of New College, Oxford Museum people from Dublin (city)