Obituary of Hender Delves Molesworth

Hender Delves Molesworth (1907–­78) was renowned for his knowledge of European sculpture, particularly German sculpture of the 15th and 16th centuries. He joined the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1931 as an Assistant Keeper in the Department of Architecture and Sculpture, becoming keeper in 1945. His main interest lay in popularising and in broadening the basis of the collections under his charge. In 1954 he became Keeper of the Department of Woodwork.

From The Times, 26 April 1978

Mr H D Molesworth, who was for many years Keeper of Sculpture and subsequently Keeper of Woodwork at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, died on April 20. He was 71.

Born in 1907, Hender Delves Molesworth was educated at Oundle and University College, Oxford. After a period of post-graduate study in Germany and at the Kunsthistorisches Institute in Florence, he entered the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1931 as an Assistant Keeper in the Department of Architecture and Sculpture. Throughout his museum career he was associated with this department, of which he became Keeper in 1945, collaborating on the 'Museum Catalogue of Italian Sculpture' and on other publications. Molesworth was distinguished for his wide familiarity with European sculpture and his specialized knowledge of German sculpture of the 15th and 16th centuries. His main interest, however, lay in popularizing and in broadening the basis of the collections under his charge; and his tenure of his appointment will be remembered particularly for the examples of Baroque and Rococo sculpture secured in these years. The museum collection of English Sculpture of the 18th century also owes much to his discriminating advocacy.

Molesworth's service in the museum was interrupted by periods of duty in Jamaica, where he acted as Director of the Institute of Jamaica from 1936 till 1938, and in Abyssinia, where he served as Press Attaché from 1942 till 1945. To both of these appointments he brought the same freshness of approach that contributed so much to the success of his Keepership at the museum and in both his readiness to identify himself with local interests gained him an unusual degree of confidence.

In 1954 he became Keeper of Woodwork in succession to Mr Ralph Edwards. He published several books, 'European Sculpture' (with P Cannon Brookes, 1965), 'The Princes' (1969) and 'Three Centuries of Furniture Design' (with J Kenworthy-Browne, 1972).

Molesworth married in 1932, Eve, daughter of the late Malcolm Galloway. There were no children of the marriage.

Reproduced with kind permission of The Times
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