George C. Williamson

George Charles Williamson (1858–1942) was a British art historian, antiquarian, and author of numerous books on European art and artists. He sometimes wrote under the pen name Rowley Cleeve.

Biography

G. C. Williamson was born in Guildford in 1858, and was educated at the University of London. He married Louisa Mary Lethbridge in 1883.

He wrote many books on European art and artists, focusing on the period from the Renaissance to the late 19th century. A number of these were issued as volumes in the publisher George Bell & Sons' Miniature Series of Painters, of which he was also the series editor. He wrote some of these under his real name and some under his "Rowley Cleeve" pseudonym.

In the years 1899-1914 he was the series editor of the book series Great Masters in Painting and Sculpture (George Bell & Sons).

He also wrote guides for art collectors on various topics—including several on portrait miniatures—and he assembled catalogues for collectors of art and antiques. For the American banker J. Pierpont Morgan, he put together a four-volume catalogue of Morgan's collection of miniatures; a fifth volume was never completed due to Morgan's death. Williamson also served as an adviser to Morgan on some purchases for his collection.

Williamson occasionally wrote on literary, historical, and cultural topics outside the field of art. Among these are Curious Survivals, a book on English customs, and a book on the voyages of the Elizabethan naval commander George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland.