Martin Davies
Encyclopedia
Sir Martin Davies CBE
FBA
FSA
(22 March 1908 – 7 March 1975) was a British museum director and civil servant.
Davies read mathematics and modern languages at Cambridge University. He first joined the staff of the National Gallery
, the institution to which he was to devote his career, as an attaché
in 1930. After being made Assistant Keeper in 1932 he called for improved research on the paintings in the collection, which would eventually come to fruition in the series of catalogues inaugurated by Davies and still being produced by the Gallery today. These set new standards for the catalogues of large collections, and have been widely imitated.
His scholarly work was interrupted from 1938 to 1941 by the need to find a safe home for the National Gallery's paintings at the onset of the Second World War, away from the aerial bombardment of London
. After the artworks were safely transferred to Manod Quarry near Ffestiniog
, North Wales
, Davies was able to make his research in total seclusion. The catalogues for the Netherlandish
, French
, and British
schools of painting were published from 1945 to 1946. The much larger Catalogue of the Earlier Italian Schools was published in 1961. Most, but not all, of these paintings are now covered by published volumes of the new series of catalogues, but for example, only the 17th century French paintings are covered under the new series, whereas Davies covered all periods.
Davies rose steadily in the ranks at the National Gallery until in 1968 he was appointed Director. The public campaign in 1971 to buy Titian
's late masterpiece The Death of Actaeon
was one of the great successes of his directorship. Davies's stated aim as director was to make the National Gallery the main public purchaser of artistic masterpieces, in which he succeeded, acquiring notable works by Caravaggio
(Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist), Tiepolo
(An Allegory with Venus and Time http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=ng6387) and Henri Rousseau
(Tiger in a Tropical Storm http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=ng6421).
Davies was knighted in 1972, the year before his retirement, and died in 1975.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
FBA
FBA
FBA may refer to:*Fellow of the British Academy*Federation of British Artists*Federal Bar Association*First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia*Flux Balance Analysis, in chemical engineering/systems biology*Freshwater Biological Association...
FSA
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
(22 March 1908 – 7 March 1975) was a British museum director and civil servant.
Davies read mathematics and modern languages at Cambridge University. He first joined the staff of the National Gallery
National gallery
The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra...
, the institution to which he was to devote his career, as an attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
in 1930. After being made Assistant Keeper in 1932 he called for improved research on the paintings in the collection, which would eventually come to fruition in the series of catalogues inaugurated by Davies and still being produced by the Gallery today. These set new standards for the catalogues of large collections, and have been widely imitated.
His scholarly work was interrupted from 1938 to 1941 by the need to find a safe home for the National Gallery's paintings at the onset of the Second World War, away from the aerial bombardment of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After the artworks were safely transferred to Manod Quarry near Ffestiniog
Ffestiniog
Ffestiniog is a community in Gwynedd in Wales, containing several villages, in particular the settlements of Llan Ffestiniog and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It has a population of 4,830....
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, Davies was able to make his research in total seclusion. The catalogues for the Netherlandish
Early Netherlandish painting
Early Netherlandish painting refers to the work of artists active in the Low Countries during the 15th- and early 16th-century Northern renaissance, especially in the flourishing Burgundian cities of Bruges and Ghent...
, French
French art
French art consists of the visual and plastic arts originating from the geographical area of France...
, and British
British art
British art could refer to:* Art of the United Kingdom - post 1707* English art* Irish art* Scottish art* Welsh art...
schools of painting were published from 1945 to 1946. The much larger Catalogue of the Earlier Italian Schools was published in 1961. Most, but not all, of these paintings are now covered by published volumes of the new series of catalogues, but for example, only the 17th century French paintings are covered under the new series, whereas Davies covered all periods.
Davies rose steadily in the ranks at the National Gallery until in 1968 he was appointed Director. The public campaign in 1971 to buy Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
's late masterpiece The Death of Actaeon
The Death of Actaeon
The Death of Actaeon is a late work by Italian Renaissance master Titian, painted in 1559 to 1575 as an oil on canvas and now housed in the National Gallery of London, United Kingdom...
was one of the great successes of his directorship. Davies's stated aim as director was to make the National Gallery the main public purchaser of artistic masterpieces, in which he succeeded, acquiring notable works by Caravaggio
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque...
(Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist), Tiepolo
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo , also known as Gianbattista or Giambattista Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice...
(An Allegory with Venus and Time http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=ng6387) and Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau
Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was a French Post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier , a humorous description of his occupation as a toll collector...
(Tiger in a Tropical Storm http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=ng6421).
Davies was knighted in 1972, the year before his retirement, and died in 1975.