Alec Cobbe
Alec Cobbe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard Alexander Charles Cobbe 1945 (age 80–81) Dublin |
| Occupations | Designer, artist and musical instrument collector |
Richard "Alec" Alexander Charles Cobbe, CVO (born 1945) is an Irish designer, artist, musical instrument collector and decorator.[1]
A member of the Cobbe family, Cobbe was born in Dublin and moved to Newbridge House with his family upon the death of his father.[2]
Cobbe studied medicine at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and underwent his clinical training at the London Hospital. Cobbe gave up his study of medicine to become a painter and trained as an art conservator at the Tate. Since the early 1980s Cobbe has advised on the redecoration of historic British country houses.[3]
Cobbe donated his design archive to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and an exhibition was held at the V&A of his work in 2013.[4]
The Cobbe Collection, Cobbe's collection of historic musical instruments is kept at Hatchlands Park, a National Trust property that Cobbe has leased since 1984.[5]
On 25 July 1970 he married the Honourable Isabel Anne Marie Henrietta Dillon, daughter of the 20th Viscount Dillon. He is uncle to the Olympic gold medal winning rower Constantine Louloudis.
On 13 February 2026 Cobbe was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO).[6]
References
- ^ "Alec Cobbe". Apollo magazine. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ Bryant 2013, pp. 85
- ^ Bryant 2013, pp. 86
- ^ Bryant 2013, pp. 8
- ^ Bryant 2013, pp. 41
- ^ "No. 64998". The London Gazette. 23 February 2026. p. 3186.
- Bryant, Julius (2013). Alec Cobbe: Designs for Historic Interiors. VA. ISBN 978-1-851777-723.
Further reading
Cobbe, Alec (2019). Birds, Bugs and Butterflies: Lady Betty Cobbe's 'Peacock' China: A Biography of an Irish Service of Worcester Porcelain. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. ISBN 9781783274727.