James Christie the Younger

He oversaw several notable sales at the auction house, and passed the business along to his son, ultimately ensuring it remained in the family until 1889.

He befriended several notable contemporary scholars, such as Sir John Soane and Charles Townley, who encouraged his studies and provided him with rare antiquities.

[3][1][4] He treads in shoes of great Papa, And tells alike — untruths comme ça: For Auctioneer would give emetic That was not vers'd in prose-poetic; While under James Christie's control, Christie's "consolidated its dominance of the London fine art auctioneering scene", according to Oxford Dictionary of National Biographer contributor Francis Russell.

'), in his satire Chalcographimania (1814), favourably described Christie's skills as a dealer, being "the most classical of our auctioneering fraternity, having been gifted with scholastic education [...] As a vendor he ranks very fair".

[9] The British Critic, approved of the book, having "certainly employed much learning and acuteness", they gave "high commendation to the classical turn and taste of the whole volume", though the work was criticised for some careless mistakes.

Additionally Christie created a Linnaean system of classification for these vases, now "generally regarded as his more lasting contribution" according to Noah Heringman.

"[15] The next work Christie produced concerned pagan religions, entitled An Essay on that Earliest Species of Idolatry: The Worship of the Elements (1814).

This vase was an exemplary piece of Greek pottery, decorated with classical masks and theatrical scenes, which had formerly been owned by the Lanti family.

The book was printed in 50 copies, for private circulation, though it had originally been intended as an introduction for the Dilettanti Society's Specimens of Ancient Sculpture, Vol.

[5] Christie was a good friend of the Freemason and architect Sir John Soane, who shared his interests in ancient religions and cults.

[19] Two contemporary portraits were made of Christie, an 1826 bust by William Behnes, which both Henry Corbould and Robert Graves sketched, and a 1821 drawing by E. Turner, now stored at the Victoria and Albert Museum.