Christopher Cock (died 1748) was an eminent English auctioneer and picture restorer who lived and worked in London. His earliest known auction was in 1717. He operated from various premises in Soho until 1731, when he moved to the Great Piazza, Covent Garden. Cock was auctioneer of the properties and possessions of many well-known men of the time. He was married to Ann, but nothing more is known of his wife or any children; Cock died in 1748 and is buried at St Paul's, Covent Garden.

Biography

Christopher Cock was probably born in London in the 1690s, but this is not certain. It has been suggested that his father was John Cock (d. 1714), printseller and picture dealer in London; no firm evidence has been found to substantiate this, although a Christopher Edward Cock, son of John and Mary was baptised at St Andrew Holborn, London on 30 September 1695. Cock died in December 1748, and was buried at

St Paul's, Covent Garden St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church located in Bedford Street, Covent Garden, central London. It was designed by Inigo Jones as part of a commission for the 4th Earl of Bedford in 1631 to create "houses and buildings fit ...

on the 16th. The church registers record where he was interred, but his memorial no longer exists.

Auctioneer

George Vertue George Vertue (1684 – 24 July 1756) was an English engraver and antiquary, whose notebooks on British art of the first half of the 18th century are a valuable source for the period. Life Vertue was born in 1684 in St Martin-in-the-Fields, ...

made the first mention of Cock as an auctioneer, noting his appearance in 1717. Cock’s first newspaper advertisement was placed in 1722 for the sale by auction of “A Most Excellent Collection of Pictures by the Celebrated Italian and other Masters”; thus began a successful career lasting some 30 years. More of his newspaper advertisements, spanning over 20 years, are available online. Some 30 auction catalogues are also available, demonstrating the range of Cock’s clientele, which included John Bridges of Lincoln’s Inn; Sir Robert Cotton, Postmaster General;

Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, (2 July 1743) was a British Whig statesman who served continuously in government from 1715 until his death. He sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1698 and 1728, and was then raised ...

; Sir James Thornhill, late principal history painter to His Majesty; Edward, Earl of Oxford; Sir William Billers, Lord Mayor of London; Josiah Burchett, Esquire, late Secretary to the Admiralty and James, Duke of Chandos (twice). Well-known figures of the period would attend Cock's auctions, e.g.

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...

and

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

at the Earl of Oxford sale on 9 March 1742. William Hogarth - Portrait of Sir Andrew Fountaine with other people

Records show that Cock charged a five per cent commission up to £40 or £50 and used a sliding scale thereafter. His auctioneering methods were innovative. For example, as early as 1737 he advertised on his picture catalogues that "any Gentlemen that want the Prices mark’d in the Catalogues, Mr Cock has given his Servant leave to do it". These estimates for paintings did not become a standard practice until 1973. In about 1731 Cock ordered from Hogarth a “conversation” of six people (later reduced to five).

Sir Andrew Fountaine Sir Andrew Fountaine (1676 in Salle, Norfolk – 4 September 1753 in Narford Hall, Narford), son and heir of Andrew Fountaine M.P. of Salle, Norfolk and Sarah Chicheley, one of the daughters of Sir Thomas Chicheley, was an English antiquarian, ...

is shown standing, draped in a red cloak, looking down at a painting held by a deferential Cock. The painting (in the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

), and a copy of it, are described in more detail in Eisenberg’s catalogue raisonnée. This is the only known image of Christopher Cock. Cock was satirised by

Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel '' Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...

in his 1737 play ''The Historical Register'' in which Christopher Cock appears as Christopher Hen, played by Charlotte Clarke. In 1747 Cock formed a partnership with

Abraham Langford Abraham Langford (1711–1774) was an English auctioneer and playwright. Life He was born in the parish of St Paul, Covent Garden. As a young man he wrote for the stage, and was responsible, according to the '' Biographia Dramatica'', for an ...

, who took over the business on Cock's death a year later.

Family and Residences

In his will, Cock refers to his dear and loving wife Ann, but no record of their marriage has been found, nor of any children. For the first part of his career, Christopher Cock lived in various locations in Broad Street (now

Broadwick Street Broadwick Street (formerly Broad Street) is a street in Soho, City of Westminster, London. It runs for 0.18 miles (0.29 km) approximately west–east between Marshall Street and Wardour Street, crossing Berwick Street. Broad Street was no ...

): * 1722 – Next the Vine Tavern, Broad Street, St James's * 1722–1724 – Upper end of Broad Street, next Golden Square * 1725 – The Two Blue Spires, Broad Street * 1726–1731 – Poland St, corner of Broad Street In 1731 he moved to No. 9–10, the Great Piazza, Covent Garden, where he remained until his death. The previous occupant for 10 years had been the Hon. Edward Wortley Montagu. Behind the house Cock erected an auction room, which remained in use for over a hundred years: next by Abraham Langford and then, in 1790, by Henry Robins. As well as auctions, Cock used his rooms to exhibit and sell paintings by leading artists, such as

Sir Godfrey Kneller Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723), was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to English and British monarchs from ...

Sir James Thornhill Sir James Thornhill (25 July 1675 or 1676 – 4 May 1734) was an English painter of historical subjects working in the Italian baroque tradition. He was responsible for some large-scale schemes of murals, including the "Painted Hall" at the Ro ...

and

Peter Tillemans Peter Tillemans ( 1684 – 5 December 1734)Noakes, Aubrey, ''Sportsmen in a Landscape'' (Ayer Publishing, 1971, )pp. 47–56: ''Peter Tillemans and Early Newmarket''at books.google.com, accessed 7 February 2009. ONDB writes: "In 1733 Tillemans re ...

. Christopher Cock's will also showed that part of his premises was leased to Allan Ramsay, the Scottish portrait painter, at a yearly rental of £63. He also held three shares in a newspaper, the ''Daily Advertiser''. After his death, Cock's collection, including pictures, was sold by Langford in May 1749 on his former premises in the Great Piazza. Hogarth's 1745 etching ''The Battle of the Pictures'' was another satire involving Cock, whose auction house was nearby. It took the form of a bidder's ticket for an auction of paintings by Hogarth. Copies of old master paintings outside Cock's house are shown attacking paintings by Hogarth.

References

{{Authority control 1748 deaths English auctioneers Conservation and restoration of paintings People from Covent Garden