author
Herbert Frederick Cook
1868–1939
An English art historian and collector who wrote clearly and enthusiastically about Renaissance painting, especially the Venetian master Giorgione. His work grew out of a life spent close to major artworks, scholarship, and one of Britain’s notable private collections.
1 Audiobook
Giorgione
by Herbert Frederick Cook
About the author
Born on November 18, 1868, Herbert Frederick Cook was an English art patron and art historian, later known as Sir Herbert Frederick Cook, 3rd Baronet. He is remembered for writing on Italian art and for helping shape early modern scholarship around Renaissance painting.
Cook is especially associated with Giorgione, a 1900 study of the elusive Venetian painter. Scholarly references also note his work on catalogues and exhibitions, and his connection with The Burlington Magazine, placing him within the lively world of British art history in the early 20th century.
He also managed and welcomed visitors to the family’s celebrated collection at Doughty House in Richmond, where important Old Master paintings were displayed. Cook died on May 4, 1939, leaving behind a reputation as both a careful scholar and a generous supporter of the study of art.