Guy Knowles
Guy John Fenton Knowles | |
|---|---|
 Guy John Fenton Knowles in the Kararkoram 1902 (from Guillarmod 1904)[1] | |
| Born | 1 July 1879[2] |
| Died | 8 April 1959 (aged 79)[3] |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, mountaineer |
| Parent(s) | Charles Julius Kino, Louisa Essinger |
Guy John Fenton Knowles (1879–1959) was an engineer, an art collector and a benefactor of several museum collections. He was also a member of the expedition which made the first serious attempt to climb K2, the second-highest mountain in the World.
Guy Knowles was the son of Charles Julius Kino, a wealthy Russian-born wool merchant and hotel proprietor who was a friend and patron of Alphonse Legros and also knew Rodin, Kino changed his name to Knowles in the 1880s.[4] As a boy Guy Knowles was allowed to play with clay in Rodin's studio.[5]
Knowles was educated at Rugby and Trinity College, Cambridge, and took a Second Class in Pt. I of the Mechanical Sciences Tripos in 1901.[2]
Knowles's father died in 1900, whilst Guy was at Cambridge, and left him a considerable inheritance.[6] In 1904, he and Lucien Legros, the son of the artist Alphonse Legros, started a motor vehicle company: Legros & Knowles Ltd in Cumberland Park, Willesden Junction, Willesden. Knowles purportedly provided a considerable portion of the company's finances.[7] The two later established the Iris Car Company.[8][6]
Mountaineering
[edit]For a number of years, Knowles climbed in the Swiss Alps, in 1898 he was climbing there in the company of Oscar Eckenstein.[9] In 1902 Eckenstein led an expedition making the first serious attempt to climb K2, Knowles was a member of that party and reportedly financed most of the expedition's costs.[10] At one point on the expedition Aleister Crowley, another expedition member, threatened Knowles with a revolver and had to be forcibly disarmed,[9] Knowles kept the revolver until the end of his life in 1959.[2] Although he never climbed again in the Greater Ranges he did make further climbing trips to the Swiss Alps and was there with Eckenstein in 1904.
War service
[edit]During the First World War, Knowles served in the Royal Garrison Artillery, reaching the rank of Captain.[11] He was twice mentioned in despatches and was awarded the French Croix de Guerre[12] and the Greek Military Cross.[13]
Art bequests
[edit]In his later years, Knowles lived in "a house full of treasures", which included a Degas bronze, two Rodins, ten Whistlers, and a magnificent Guardi sketch — apparently his father had bought the Guardi and a Titian sketch for 12s 6d each in the 1880s.[9] In his will he left to the Fitzwilliam Museum what was described as "a remarkable collection of paintings, drawings, bronzes and miscellaneous works of art",[2] and he is regarded as a major donor of the Fitzwilliam's Whistler collection.[5][14]
References
[edit]- ^ Jacot-Guillarmod, Jules (1904). Six Mois Dans L'Himalaya le Karakorum et L'Hindu-Kush. W. Sandoz. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d "In Memoriam – Guy John Fenton Knowles, 1879–1959" (PDF). Alpine Journal. 64 (298): 288–289. 1959. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Mr. Guy Knowles Benefactor of the Fitzwilliam". The Times. 8 May 1959.
- ^ "Guy J F Knowles". British Museum. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Whistler donors". UK: Fitzwilliam Museum. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Miss Margaret Knowles". Henfield Museum. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ Gibbons, S.A. (February 1960). "The Iris Car". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Legros and Knowles". Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Dean, David; Blakeney, T.S.; Dangar, D.F.O. (1960). "Oscar Eckenstein, 1859-1921" (PDF). Alpine Journal. #65 (300): 62–79. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ Symonds, John (1973). The Great Beast: The Life and Magick of Aleister Crowley. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0583121958. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Lives of the First World War – Guy John Fenton Knowles". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE" (PDF). The London Gazette. UK. 25 September 1917. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE" (PDF). The London Gazette. UK. 10 October 1918. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Knowles, Guy John Fenton". UK: Fitzwilliam Museum. Retrieved 15 July 2024.