St James's Ancient Art

A London dealer that grew out of Chris Martin's trade in ancient coins, St James's Ancient Art says it was founded in 1971⁷. A LAPADA trade profile dates the firm, listed there as C.J. Martin (Coins) & Ancient Art Ltd, to 1972¹⁰. The gallery says Martin funded his own collection by dealing in coins and studied under Colin Kraay of the Ashmolean and Eva Frommer⁷. It describes him as managing director, vice chairman of the Antiquities Dealers' Association and chairman of the British Numismatic Trade Association, and says he sat on the Treasure Valuation Committee from 2016⁷. The firm gives its memberships as ADA, LAPADA, BNTA and CINOA, and says it has collaborated on at least fifteen exhibitions with Fortnum and Mason⁷.

Cypriot pieces form a small part of the stock on its website. Three Black-on-Red items are listed: a miniature juglet of c. 800-600 BC at GBP 695, a miniature jug at GBP 895 and a pyriform alabastron of c. 1050-600 BC at GBP 950, which the gallery compares with British Museum 1880,0710.8^2,3,4. Earlier stock included a Cypro-Archaic II terracotta horse and rider of c. 600-450 BC at GBP 850, described as acquired before 1990 from an old German collection and previously with a UK gallery⁸. Hollow gold pomegranate pendants of c. 1500-1000 BC, at GBP 300 each, came from a lady collector who, the gallery says, bought them around 1995 from Astarte Gallery in London⁹. LAPADA listings carry a Red Polished juglet at GBP 695 and a Red Polished jug^5,6.