Herbert Colborne Oakley (1869 - 1944)
His Portraits
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The following is but a small fraction
of the work by this gifted artist, coming from a few private
collections in the United Kingdom and
from the museums and art galleries where his
work has been found. Missing are the many paintings that he
completed in England, in the 10 to 15 years from the time he "retired"
from teaching at Kidderminster until he settled in St. David's, also those
painted while in France and Italy, as well as some notable paintings sold at
auction in the last decade.
His work has suffered
much neglect over the past half-century, both in the recognition of himself
as an artist and in the care of his work. He seldom exhibited his
paintings,
being independently wealthy, hence it is not surprising that his work
received little exposure. As previously noted, this web site, a
work in progress and hopefully one that will benefit from the input of
others, is an attempt to provide a source of information on the
artist along with a virtual gallery of his work - nothing more.
As to the care of his work, it is reassuring to learn of the steps being
undertaken in the professional restoration of some of his paintings.
The highlight of his work, not just of his paintings, is unquestionably
his portraits. The subjects he painted were those known well by
him, primarily in Southampton in England, Equry and Mory-Montcrux in
France, Florence and Settignano in Italy and St. David's in
rural Wales, where he spent roughly the last twenty years of his life -
and where most of the present material on this web site comes from. A
notable commissioned portrait is that of a Southampton mayor, Colonel
Bance, (at the Southampton City Art Gallery).
We hope that you enjoy the work
displayed - and if you already possess one of his paintings, please
enjoy and preserve it. Any additional information you may have
on the artist, and in particular copies of items of his work not
contained on this site, would be greatly appreciated. As noted,
this web site exists for the sole purpose of providing a record of this
unique artist's work.
Please continue to the next set of portraits.
"The H. C. Oakley Virtual Gallery" Copyright ©
2005 Andrew Gray
