LONDON.- Bonhams has appointed Dr James Peake as a specialist in British and European glass in its Glass Department.

Jim has a PhD in Archaeology and an MSc in Conservation. With a largely scientific background, he previously focussed upon the compositional analysis of early Anglo-Saxon glass from England as part of a wider collaborative project with the British Ministry of Defence, the United States Forces and Suffolk County Council.

He has worked extensively on the analysis of Mamluk enamelled glass from the Near East and Seljuq ceramics from Kubadabad Palace in Turkey, and has been commissioned to undertake analysis of archaeological glass for a number of museums and institutions.

Jim has run courses in conservation and chemistry and has lectured widely at conferences throughout Britain and Europe, with recent publications including Cross-Craft Interactions between Metal and Glass Working (2012) and Opaque Yellow Glass Production in the Early Medieval Period (2014). He is an active member of the Glass Circle, the Association Internationale pour l’Histoire du Verre (AIHV), and the British Association for the History of Glass (AHG).

Commenting on his appointment, Simon Cottle, Director of the Glass Department, comments: “We are delighted to have Jim as a colleague. His experience and specialist knowledge will prove invaluable in building this department and offering clients his outstanding expertise.”

Jim said: “As I child I greatly admired a modest collection formed in the Near East by a relative serving for the Trucial Oman Scouts during the Dhofar rebellion. This began a lifelong passion for glass. The highlights of my career thus far include working on one of the largest assemblages of Anglo-Saxon glass beads in the country, analysis of a rare glass assemblage from an early Christian monastery at Portmahomack, and more recently the discovery of a previously unrecorded Venetian enamelled goblet which we sold at Bonhams last May for £31,250.

It is a pleasure to be a part of the ceramics and glass team here at Bonhams, and I look forward to contributing to some truly exceptional glass sales.”