The best-loved painting by Maurice Codner is Mrs Hoy as Women's Auxiliary Air Force Officer (1939–1945) (1940). Digby Chamberlain (1896–1962) (1947) and Lieutenant Colonel Charles Herbert Gibson (1881–1962) (1950) come next among the canvases readers know best. Our catalogue holds 17 works by Maurice Codner: here are the 17 most famous, each with its year, its museum and what makes it memorable.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated November 2026.
A woman sits upon the ground, her hands clasped in a quiet, steady repose. She wears the uniform of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, a garment of duty and structure. A hat rests upon her head, and a tie is knotted at her collar. Behind her, a field stretches out, a soft expanse of landscape that provides a grounded context to her presence. The light catches the folds of her…
Maurice Codner captures Digby Chamberlain in a moment of quiet composure. Seated in a chair and dressed in formal attire, the subject's posture suggests a man accustomed to the weight of his own presence. The dark, indeterminate background pushes the figure forward, isolating him as the singular focus of the composition. Light falls across his suit and face, defining the contours of his features and the texture of his clothing…
The four subjects that return most often on these canvases, each with its best-loved example.
The 5 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Maurice Codner | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Institution of Mechanical Engineers |
London | 2 | C. A. Parsons (1854–1931), James Clayton (1869–1944) |
 Leeds General Infirmary |
Leeds | 1 | Digby Chamberlain (1896–1962) |
 The Munnings Art Museum |
Colchester | 1 | Sir Alfred Munnings Seated |
 Barnet Local Studies - Archives |
London | 1 | Alderman Mrs Sarah Jane Bannister |
 Guildhall Art Gallery |
London | 1 | Sir George Broadbridge (1869–1952), Lord Mayor of London (1936) |
A woman sits upon the ground, her hands clasped in a quiet, steady repose. She wears the uniform of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, a garment of duty…
Mrs Hoy as Women's Auxiliary Air Force Officer (1939–1945) (1940), followed by Digby Chamberlain (1896–1962) (1947) and Lieutenant Colonel Charles Herbert Gibson (1881–1962) (1950).
Maurice Codner, born in 1888, was 52 years old: Mrs Hoy as Women's Auxiliary Air Force Officer (1939–1945) dates from 1940.
Mrs Hoy as Women's Auxiliary Air Force Officer (1939–1945), Digby Chamberlain (1896–1962), Lieutenant Colonel Charles Herbert Gibson (1881–1962), Field Marshal Lord Milne (1866–1948), GCB, GCMG, DSO, DCL, LLD, K.St J, Percy Astins, CBE, JP, Sir Alfred Munnings Seated, Colonel C. E. Heathcote, CB, CMC, DSO, Sir Hugh Roberton (1874–1952), Charles Ffoulkes (1868–1947), CB, CBE, First Curator and Secretary of the Imperial War Museum, in the Uniform of Master of the Tower Armouries and Alderman Mrs Sarah Jane Bannister. Each canvas in the ranking above comes with its year and its museum.
17 works by Maurice Codner are in our catalogue, dated 1928 to 1950.
Mostly in Institution of Mechanical Engineers (London), Leeds General Infirmary (Leeds) and The Munnings Art Museum (Colchester); the list above names each museum and its canvases.
In 1940s, which gave 7 of the 17 works on this page, Mrs Hoy as Women's Auxiliary Air Force Officer (1939–1945) among them.
The earliest canvas here is Colonel C. E. Heathcote, CB, CMC, DSO (1928); the latest is Lieutenant Colonel Charles Herbert Gibson (1881–1962) (1950).
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London holds 2 of the works on this page, among them C. A. Parsons (1854–1931) and James Clayton (1869–1944).
In the vibrant tapestry of early twentieth-century British art, few figures possessed the dual mastery of form and light as Maurice Frederick Codner. Born in London on September 27, 1888, Codner emerged as a versatile force, navigating the delicate boundary between the tactile permanence of sculpture and the ephemeral beauty of portraiture. His artistic journey was one of profound observation, driven by an enduring fascination with the grandeur of the English countryside and the nuanced character of the individuals who inhabited it. Through his hands, the stillness of stone and the fluidity of oil paint both conspired to capture a specific, dignified era of British history.
Codner’s artistic foundation was laid within the prestigious halls of the Slade School of Fine Art, an environment that nurtured his technical precision. During these formative years, he studied alongside luminaries such as William Orpen and Henry Tonks, engaging in a creative dialogue that would shape his approach to composition and light. Under the guidance of Bertram MacDowell, Codner mastered the principles of tonal harmony and atmospheric perspective—elements that would later allow him to imbress his landscapes with a sense of living breath. This rigorous training provided him with more than just skill; it instilled a deep respect for traditional techniques that he would eventually marry with the experimental spirit of Impressionism.
While many recognize Codner for his ability to capture the human likeness, his contributions to the sculptural arts remain a cornerstone of his legacy. His reputation reached international heights through monumental commissions for the Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany. In works such as “The Shepherd,” Codner demonstrated an extraordinary ability to translate Impressionistic ideals—the play of light and the texture of nature—into three-dimensional reality. He approached sculpture not merely as a study of anatomy, but as an exploration of surface and emotion, much like his approach to painting.
In his paintings, Codner often employed a technique reminiscent of sculptural depth, utilizing textured impasto to create palpable irregularities on the canvas. This thick application of paint allowed him to mimic the rugged textures of the natural world, lending his landscapes an extraordinary level of detail and emotional weight. Whether he was working in the medium of clay or oil, his goal remained constant: to capture the essence of a subject through a sophisticated interplay of light, shadow, and physical presence.
Beyond the sweeping vistas of the countryside, Codner’s brush was frequently called upon to document the faces of his age. He became one of Britain's most sought-after portrait painters, possessing a rare ability to convey both the social stature and the inner humanity of his subjects. His portfolio serves as a historical record of mid-century British society, featuring an array of notable figures including:
This prolific career in portraiture was supported by his active involvement in prestigious artistic institutions. As a member and former honorary secretary of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (RP), as well as a member of the Royal Academy (RA), the New English Art Club (NEAC), and the Paris Salon, Codner was deeply embedded in the professional fabric of the art world. His work did not merely exist within galleries; it lived within the halls of power and the hearts of the public, bridging the gap between high art and historical commemoration. When he passed away on March 10, 1958, he left behind a body of work that remains a vital window into the soul of a bygone Britain.
