Sir George Donaldson

Sir George Donaldson was a renowned art dealer in London.

Life and career

Donaldson was born in Edinburgh on 25 May 1845 to Charles Alex Donaldson of Edinburgh. He moved to Paris the late 1860s, where he developed an interest in historic furniture. In 1871, he moved to London and opened an art gallery on New Bond Street, London. He specialized in English and European furniture from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century.

His paintings collection included Titian's Ranuccio Farnese in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Andrés del Peral by Goya in the National Gallery, London. He also collected musical instruments, which he presented to the Royal College of Music in 1894.

George Salting, an Australian-born British art collector was one of his clients. He also advised the V&A on purchases. 

Donaldson retired in the 1890's and was knighted in 1904. He died in Hove, England, in 1925. Following his death, his collection of letters went up for sale, including letters from Queen Elizabeth I, King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell.