Lionel Cust

Sir Lionel Henry Cust (born January 25, 1859 in London , † October 12, 1929 in Datchet House, Datchet , Buckinghamshire ) was a British art historian .

life and work

Lionel Cust was the son of attorney Sir Reginald John Cust (1828-1912) and his wife Elizabeth Bligh, daughter of Edward Bligh, 5th Earl of Darnley . He attended Eton College and studied at Trinity College , Cambridge .

In 1882 Cust was first employed by the War Office , a job that did not appeal to him. In 1884, at the suggestion of Sydney Colvin, he joined the British Museum's graphic collection . At the suggestion of the then director Sidney Colvin , he mainly dealt with the northern European schools. He dedicated a two-volume catalog to the Dutch, Flemish, German and French artists, and published studies on Anthony van Dyck and Albrecht Dürer .

From 1895 to 1909 he succeeded George Scharf as director of the National Portrait Gallery in London. Here he was able to pursue his two main interests, the history of art and the history of the British nobility. During his tenure, the museum moved to its current premises at St Martin's Place in London.

In 1901 he became Gentleman Usher under King Edward VII and was in charge of the royal art collections as Surveyor of Pictures in Ordinary to His Majesty . In 1927 he resigned from this office. In 1901 he became a member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO), in 1914 Commander of the Order (CVO) and in 1927 as Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) ennobled (Sir).

In addition to works of art history, he wrote numerous articles for the Dictionary of National Biography and, with Sydney Colvin, the history of the Society of Dilettanti .

Publications (selection)

• Index of Artists Represented in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum . 2 volumes. British Museum / Longmans, London 1893–1896.
• with Sydney Colvin: History of the Society of Dilettanti . Macmillan, London 1898 ( digital ). Extended new edition 1914 ( digital ).
• A History of Eton College . London / New York 1899 ( digital ).
• Anthony Van Dyck, an Historical Study of his Life and Works . Bell, London 1900.
• The National Portrait Gallery . 2 volumes. Cassell, London 1901-1902
• A Description of the Sketch-book by Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Used by him in Italy, 1621–1627, and Preserved in the Collection of the Duke of Devonshire, at Chatsworth . Bell, London 1902.
• The Royal Collection of Paintings: Buckingham Palace . London 1905.
• King Edward VII and His Court. Some Reminiscences. London 1930

literature

• Sybill Cust: Memoir . In: Lionel Cust: King Edward VII and his court. Some reminiscences . Murray, London 1930, pp. V-XXIII.
• Laurence Binyon , rev. Christopher Lloyd: Cust, Sir Lionel Henry. In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Volume 14: Cranfield-Dalwood. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861364-4 , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

Web links

• Lionel Cust in the Dictionary of Art Historians
• Publications by Lionel Cust on the Internet Archive
• Contributions by Lionel Cust to the Dictionary of National Biography