J. D. Beazley

Sir John Davidson Beazley, CH, FBA (/ˈbiːzli/; 13 September 1885 – 6 May 1970) was a British classical archaeologist and art historian, known for his classification of Attic vases by artistic style. He was Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art at the University of Oxford from 1925 to 1956.

Beazley was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 13 September 1885, to Mark John Murray Beazley (died 1940) and Mary Catherine Beazley née Davidson (died 1918). He was educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton and Christ's Hospital, Sussex. He then attended Balliol College, Oxford where he read Literae Humaniores. He received firsts in both the Honour Moderations and the Final Honour School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1907. While at Oxford he became a close friend of the poet James Elroy Flecker.