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James Christie and his auction house

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Lynda McLeod
Lynda McLeod*
Affiliation:
Christie’s Archives, 8 King Street, St. James’s, London SW1Y 6QT, UK
*
Email: lmcleod@christies.com
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Extract

Mr James Christie (1730-1803) became London’s premier auctioneer in the 1760s and he was still at the top of his profession at his death in 1803. This brief history of the man and his auction house outlines his early career in Covent Garden, the setting up of his own auction rooms during the 1760s and some of his early successes. He came to rely less on the three D’s: Death, Divorce and Debt (still the primary reason for selling at auction in the 21st century) for the source of goods, and also moved away from run-of-the-mill anonymous household furniture sales. Christie encouraged a new breed of seller – the lords and ladies of the land together with princes and royals – and the article highlights a few of the varied characters who entrusted James Christie with the sale of their property.

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , 2008 , pp. 28 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 2008

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References

1. Christie’s Archive is a library of last resort and is accessible by appointment only.Google Scholar
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