On a recent visit to The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, I discovered not only were they celebrating the bicentenary of their opening, but also the Friends of the Fitzwilliam was founded in 1909 by Sir Sydney Cockerell, Director from 1908-1937 to support the Museum and is the oldest such society in Britain.
Friends play a vital role in the life of the Fitzwilliam and their contributions are greatly valued. Cockerell’s very first purchase from the Friends’ first year of subscriptions (a total of £ 116 18s) was a panel of Islamic tiles of c.1600, costing 42 guineas. Cockerell was extremely proud of this acquisition: it reflected his own taste for the arts and crafts of the near East, and the all-pervasive influence of his friend William Morris, for whom he had once worked.
