Combe, Martha |
| ART COLLECTOR (ENGLAND) |
|
BORN 1806, Oxford, Oxfordshire - DIED 27 Dec 1893 BIRTH NAME Edwards, Martha Howell Bennett GRAVE LOCATION Oxford, Oxfordshire: St. Sepulchre’s Cemetery, Walton Street (St Paul’s section: Row 10, Grave A16 [St Paul ref L.8]) |
|
Martha Combe was on of the five daughters of an ironmonger from Oxford. She married Thomas Combe (1796-1872). Her husband became a senior partner at Oxford University Press and made a lot of money. This enabled them to collect art. At the time the Pre-Raphaelites were denounced by the art critics, they bought their work and they befriended John Everett Millais and Charles Collins. Their art collection included " A Converted British Family Sheltering a Christian Missionary from the Persecution of the Druids" (1850) by William Holman Hunt and "Convent Thoughts" (1851) by Charles Collins. A few years later they bought Hunt's "The Light of the World". After her husband died in 1872, she expanded their art collection further. She bequeathed most of the paintings to Oxford University and they are now at the Ashmolean Museum. "The Light of the World" was donated to Keble College. She died in 1893 and was buried with her husband at Sepulchre's Cemetery. Family • Husband: Combe, Thomas (1840-1872) Related persons • was a friend of Collins, Charles Allston • was a friend of Millais, John |
| Images |
 The grave of Thomas Combe and Martha Combe at St Sepulchre's Cemetery in Oxford, Oxfordshire. Picture by Androom (09 Nov 2025) |
Sources • Martha Combe - Wikipedia (EN) |
