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FINDERS KEEPERS | MASTERS & MUSES | WORLD OF CABANA
A former Christie’s specialist turned trusted presence on Lillie Road, Fulham, antique dealer James Jackson has spent over two decades scouring markets, brocantes, and country house sales for rare treasures. As part of our Finders Keepers series, James reveals the stories of two exceptional objects that have passed through his hands: his greatest find and the piece he'll keep forever.
INTERVIEW BY EMMA BECQUE | FINDERS KEEPERS | 24 JANUARY 2026
Antique dealer James Jackson outside his showroom on Lillie Road in London © Boz Gagovski.
My Greatest Find: Chinese Porcelain Vases
"I used to be a specialist in the Asian art department at Christie's, South Kensington, the fine art auctioneers. As a result, I am knowledgeable about Chinese porcelain, and over the years, I have bought quite a few valuable Chinese pots, as I call them, or, more formally, Chinese porcelain vases. I have done well financially from them, often re-selling these fine pieces at auction during Asia Week.
"I can't think of one specifically, but what I find interesting is how there are so many of these wonderful Chinese pots out there. Most are mundanely sat around in people's homes without them realising how valuable and rare their piece truly is. As and when they come up on the market, I get excited, and sometimes I will find them trawling the markets – from such a find one can often do rather well."
James Jackson's showroom, © Boz Gagovski
A collection of plaster casts, © Boz Gagovski
A series of coveted Chinese pots inside the antique dealer's former home, © Boz Gagovski.
Inside the antique dealers home © Boz Gagovski
A large early 19th-century Cantonese temple jar propped on a French 1940s scrolling table showcases the dealer's style, © Boz Gagovski.
A glimpse of the Lillie Road showroom, © Boz Gagovski
The Piece(s) I'll Keep Forever: Georgian Mahogany Sofa and 19th-century plaster cast
"The piece I would be loath to sell and would ultimately keep forever is my Irish Georgian mahogany sofa. I bought it from another antique dealer on Lillie Road over twenty years ago. Today, it sits in the rear hallway of my house in France beneath an oval gilt-framed mirror. It is incredibly elegant and a beautiful piece of furniture.
"It features its original horsehair, squab seat cushion, which has boated ends. This means they are slightly upturned, like the hull of a boat; this was a craft technique to enable sitting in the curvature of the upswept arms. Its mahogany frame, which showcases traces of the original faux rosewood paint finish, is also a special touch."
"Another coveted piece of mine is my 19th-century plaster cast, which was created as a museum copy, showing an original Roman carved marble nude torso on a black plinth.
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Cabana Magazine N24
Covers by Morris & Co.
This issue will transport you across countries and continents where craft and culture converge. Evocative travel portfolios reveal Japan's elegant restraint, Peru's sacred churches ablaze with color, and striking architecture in a fading Addis Ababa. Inspiring minds from the late Giorgio Armani to Nikolai von Bismarck spark curiosity, while exclusive homes—from the dazzling Burghley House in England and an Anglo-Italian dream in Milan, to a Dionysian retreat in Patmos and a historic Pennsylvania farmhouse—become portals that recall, evoke and transport.
