Sir Francis Cook, 4th Baronet
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Sir Francis Ferdinand Maurice Cook, 4th Baronet (21 December 1907 – 12 September 1978) was a British artist. The only son of Sir Herbert Cook, 3rd Baronet, he was the fourth holder of the Cook Baronetcy, inheriting his father's titles in 1939. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he dispersed the majority of the very important family collection of
Old Master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...
paintings.


Life

Educated at
Bradfield College Bradfield College is a coeducational public school (independent boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18, in the village of Bradfield, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It is noted for its open-air Greek theatre and its trien ...
, he became an artist, musician and art historian, exhibiting at the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
. Paintings by Cook appear in the
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History The Walker Art Gallery's collection dates from 1819 w ...
, Manchester, Northampton and Bournemouth. He was also a
Fellow of the Royal 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 ...
(1960–78) and an Associate of the
Royal Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fi ...
(1938–48). Cook was a founding member of the Jersey Society of Artists, and the Jersey Artists Group. Forty Dutch pictures from the family art collection were sold to Katz of Dieren in 1939, with more being sold off after the family home of Doughty House was bomb damaged in 1944 – fortunately much of the collection had been transferred to Cothay Manor in
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
, which he also owned. Cook moved to
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
in 1960 with the remaining 30 paintings from his collection. Some of his works stored at Le Gallais' depository in
Saint Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; ) is the Capital city, capital of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. It is the most populous of the twelve parishes of Jersey, with a population of 35,822, over one-third of the island' ...
were lost in a fire in 1949. Many of these works were later recreated by Cook from photographs. In 1955 Cook bought a house in
Saint Brelade St Brelade (Jèrriais and ) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is around west of St Helier. Its population was 11,012 as of 2021. The parish is the second-largest parish by surface area, covering 7,103 vergé ...
which he restored along with its gardens. These became a subject of a number of paintings. In the 1970s he bought the former Methodist chapel at Les Augrès,
Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
, which he converted to a studio and gallery. The conversion remained unfinished at his death, and on 4 May 1984 his widow made a donation of 1200 paintings to the Jersey Heritage Trust along with the former chapel, which has since been named the ''Sir Francis Cook Gallery''. In June 1958 Cook sold a painting through
Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...
for £45 that later became known as
Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...
's
Salvator Mundi , Latin for Saviour of the World, is a subject in iconography depicting Christ with his right hand raised in blessing and his left hand holding an orb (frequently surmounted by a cross), known as a . The latter symbolizes the Earth, and the whol ...
which was sold for $450 million by
Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...
to Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Farhan. The family was of the belief that the artist of the piece was
Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio (or Beltraffio) (1466 or 1467 – 1516) was an Italian painter of the High Renaissance from Lombardy, who worked in the studio of Leonardo da Vinci. Boltraffio and Bernardino Luini are the strongest artistic personal ...
, a contemporary and studio mate of da Vinci.


Marriages

#Molly Violet Mappin, daughter of Thomas Wilson Mappin, on 15 February 1928, divorced in 1930 # Dorothea Alice Bennett, daughter of Colonel William Bennett, on 25 February 1933, divorced in 1935 #Joan Loraine Case, daughter of John Aloysius Ashton Case, on 8 June 1937, divorced in 1942 #Barbara Frances Lang, in October 1942, divorced in 1947 #Juliet Berry Perkins, daughter of Christopher Edward Perkins, on 5 September 1947, divorced in 1951 #Jane Audrey Nott, daughter of Christopher Nott, on 10 August 1951, divorced in 1956 #Bridget Brenda Lynch, daughter of Thomas David Lynch, on 3 December 1956


References


Sources

*''Sir Francis Cook'', Carolyn Bailey, Jersey Museums Service, no date


External links

*
Story of the collection and its sale
*Biograph

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Francis 1907 births 1978 deaths 20th-century English historians 20th-century English musicians 20th-century English male artists 20th-century English painters Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom English art historians English male painters People educated at Bradfield College