Obituary of Charles Chichele Oman

Charles Chichele Oman (1901–82) was one of the world’s leading authorities on the history of European decorative metalwork. He joined the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1924 as an Assistant Keeper in the Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design (now Prints & Drawings). In 1925, he moved to the Department of Metalwork and in 1945 was appointed Keeper. During his time as Keeper he reorganised the metalwork collections and made many important additions to them.

From The Times, 29 January 1982

Authority on historic silverware
Mr C C Oman, Keeper of Metalwork at the Victoria and Albert Museum 1945 66, died at his home after a short illness on January 26. He was 80.

Charles Chichele Oman, the only son among the three children of the distinguished historian Sir Charles Oman, was born on June 5, 1901. His second name - of which he disapproved - was that of the medieval Archbishop of Canterbury Henry Chichele, founder of All Souls College, of which his father was a Fellow at the time of his birth.

After education at Winchester and New College, he studied the medieval topography of the Roman Campagna at the British School at Rome before joining the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1924 as an Assistant Keeper in the department of engraving, illustration and design (now prints and drawings). He remained in this department for only a year but with the energy and application that were so characteristic of him, was nevertheless able to do the basic work on his first book, published in 1929, a catalogue of the museum's collection of early wallpapers. In 1925, he moved to the Department of Metalwork which was then only about 15 years old, under its second Keeper, H P Mitchell, and it was here that he found his true vocation, eventually becoming one of the world's leading authorities on the history of decorative metalwork in the West from the Middle Ages onwards.
The 12 books and monographs and the 130 or so articles he published on the subject during his lifetime (the last one as recently as 1980) reveal how very wide-ranging his knowledge of it was, but it is as an authority on goldsmiths' work, especially jewellery, Spanish silver and, above all, British silver, that he is best known. His 'English Domestic Silver' first published in 1933, has since gone through many editions and still remains the basic textbook, while 'English Church Plate' (1957) - much of the preliminary work for which was carried out by bicycle - is a major pioneering study that is never likely to be superseded. Other notable books are 'The English Silver in the Kremlin 1557-1663' (1961) - the result of the first critical examination of this collection by any Briton for over 50 years - 'Caroline Silver 1625-1688' (1971), 'British Rings' (1974) and 'English Engraved Silver 1150-1900' (1978).

Oman greatly admired H P Mitchell, but had served under him for only about 6 months when he died in 1926. He then found himself in the frustrating position of working under two successive keepers who had no real interest in building up the museum's collection of goldsmiths' work and he saw many important pieces lost to the nation without being able to do anything about it. Only after the Second World War (during which he was seconded to the Ministry of War Transport) did he really come into his own.

In 1945, he was appointed Keeper of Metalwork and from then until his retirement in 1966 he was able both to reorganize the metalwork collections and make many important additions to them: it should be placed on record also that the spectacular gift of the late Dame Joan Evans's entire collection of jewellery in 1975, though made after his retirement, was largely because of her long standing friendship with him.

Oman, who had a deep love of English historic buildings and especially churches and cathedrals, was unusual among museum officials of his generation in realizing that the conservation responsibilities of museums extend far beyond their walls. He was actively involved with the work of the Council for the Care of Churches and with the London Goldsmiths' Company of which he became a Liveryman in 1946 as well as with the Royal Archaeological Institute, the Silver Society, the Society of Jewellery Historians and a number of other learned bodies. It was his concern about the future of the important plate kept in so many English churches (usually out of public sight) that gave him the idea of setting up Treasuries in the cathedrals where diocesan plate and other treasures could be displayed and he was successful in obtaining the generous support of the Goldsmiths' Company for it. He remained actively involved in this project until the end of his life and the 15 Treasuries that now exist form the best possible of monuments to his memory.

As a child and a young man, Oman had been over-shadowed by the powerful personality of his father, while he was miserably unhappy at his two schools, as his sister Carola's 'An Oxford Childhood' recounts. His reserve and inability to indulge in social small-talk, coupled with a slight stammer which strangers sometimes found intimidating, was no doubt the result of this early ill treatment. In fact, he was the most kindhearted and gentle of people, with a dry sense of humour, always willing to share his great knowledge, not only of his specialities, but also of a wide variety of subjects, including gardening which, with european travel, was his main relaxation. He was much loved by those who knew him well.

In 1929 Oman married Joan Trevelyan, who died in1973. He is survived by a daughter and a son.

Reproduced with kind permission of The Times
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