David Battie

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

(born 22 October 1942) is a British retired expert on

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...

, specialising in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and Chinese artefacts.

Career

After attending art school, where he studied graphic design, Battie worked for ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'' magazine for three years. In 1965, he joined the auction house

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

. He worked in the Departments of Ceramics and Oriental Works of Art and was appointed a director in 1976. He retired from Sotheby's in 1999. After leaving Sotheby's, he became editor of ''Masterpiece'' magazine and has written many books on pottery and porcelain. He also undertakes

public speaking Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

. He is probably best known for his many appearances on the long-running

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television programme ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people ( ...

'', in which he appeared for 43 years, from the first series in 1977 until his retirement in 2020.

Personal life

David Battie married Sarah Francis, a glass expert from

, in 1972. The couple have two daughters. In 2012 Battie broke his leg in a fall. While in hospital he contracted an antibiotic-resistant infection and ultimately remained in hospital for six months, undergoing eight operations, including four skin grafts. Battie suffers from the genetic disorder

haemochromatosis Iron overload is the abnormal and increased accumulation of total iron in the body, leading to organ damage. The primary mechanism of organ damage is oxidative stress, as elevated intracellular iron levels increase free radical formation via the ...

and has also developed

Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...

. He is an ambassador for the charity Antibiotic Research UK. In 2022 and 2023 a number of

Asian art Asian art includes a vast range of arts from various cultures, regions, and religions across the continent of Asia. East Asian art includes works from China, Japan, and Korea, while Southeast Asian art includes the arts of Brunei, Cambodia, E ...

, ceramics, antiques and historic textiles from the David & Sarah Battie Collection, were auctioned by Tennants and by Dominic Winter Auctioneers. The pieces included those from

Qianlong The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He reigned ...

period and from the 17th to 19th-century.

Bibliography

* ''The Price Guide to 19th and 20th Century British Pottery'' (1975) * ''Sotheby's Encyclopedia of Porcelain'' (editor, 1990) * ''Sotheby's Encyclopedia of Glass'' (coeditor, 1991) * ''Reader's Digest Treasures in Your Home'' (consultant editor, 1992) * ''Understanding 19th Century British Porcelain'' (1994)

References

External links

List of published works
on Bookfinder.com * 1942 births Living people English antiques experts British non-fiction writers British book editors BBC television presenters British male writers Male non-fiction writers Antiques Roadshow Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts {{UK-tv-bio-stub