R. L. (Robert Lockhart) Hobson

Born in 1872, Robert Lockhart Hobson was a British civil servant, antiquarian, and museum specialist best known for his work at the British Museum. He became keeper of the Department of Ceramics and Ethnography and built a strong reputation as an expert on Far Eastern ceramics, especially Chinese pottery and porcelain.

Alongside his museum career, he wrote and edited a number of important reference works and guides on ceramics. His books helped introduce wider audiences to the history, styles, and craftsmanship of pottery and porcelain, and they remained useful to collectors, researchers, and general readers for many years.

Hobson died in 1941. He is still remembered as one of the major British writers and curators who brought serious scholarly attention to ceramic art.