Four Chinese Quartz and Amethyst Snuff Bottles, 19th-20th Century

晚清-民國水晶鼻烟壺四支

-The first, 19th-20th century amethystine quartz of rounded-rectangular form, with a cylindrical neck, flat lip and flat foot surrounded by a protruding shallow conforming footrim, the undecorated body of violet tone, well-hollowed, the interior with a “cracked-ice” pattern when transilluminated, the narrow sides flat.
-The second, 19th century, the smoky crystal of flattened rounded-rectangular form, the shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck, the lip concave, with a protruding oval footrim, the brown-gray stone undecorated, well hollowed.
-The third, 19th-20th century, of a lacy crystal, of flattened ovoid shape, with cylindrical lip, flat mouth, protruding oval footring, well-hollowed
-The fourth, 19th-20th century, of smokey quartz, attenuated rectangular, flattened form, with sloped shoulders, cylindrical neck, flat mouth, slightly concave oval base, well-hollowed, the interior with matte polish.

Tallest height without stopper 2 1/2 in., 6.3 cm.

Property from the Estate of Dr. Thomas Klein, sold to benefit Jefferson Hospital

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Provenance:

-The first: Heritage Auctions, Dallas, TX, March 20, 2024, lot 78311

-The second: John Nicholson Auction, Haslemere, England, July 9ᵗʰ, 2017, lot 1284

-All: Property from the Estate of Dr. Thomas Klein, sold to benefit Jefferson Hospital

湯姆·克萊因醫生收藏鼻烟壺逾四十年。他畢業於哈佛大學與羅徹斯特大學，曾於美國陸軍擔任婦產科醫師並出任高階領導職務。其後於傑佛遜醫院服務三十年，2023年以婦產科副主任身分榮退，期間培養了五百餘名住院醫師與無數醫學生。他的學術與臨床精神延續於以其名設立的「Thomas A. Klein 講席教授」，本場拍賣所得亦歸於傑佛遜醫院。

Tom Klein’s life was shaped by two enduring passions: medicine and the collecting of snuff bottles. While these worlds rarely intersected, both were marked by the same qualities—quiet dedication, discernment, and grace.

Tom was unfailingly modest–when the I.C.S.B.S. held its convention in Philadelphia, he entrusted me to select bottles from his collection for the exhibition “Embers of the East,” a task made challenging by the number of exceptional bottles. His passion for collecting was thoughtful rather than acquisitive, grounded in appreciation rather than display. These were his companions—objects he handled, studied, and loved for over 40 years.

Professionally, Tom enjoyed an equally distinguished career. A graduate of Harvard University and the University of Rochester, he served as an obstetrician-gynecologist in the U.S. Army in senior leadership roles. He spent thirty years at Jefferson Hospital, retiring in 2023 as Vice Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, having trained more than five hundred residents and countless medical students. His legacy continues through the Thomas A. Klein, MD Professorship in Quality and Safety in Women’s Health.

To those who knew him as a collector, these accomplishments mirrored the man I admired: principled, generous, and exacting without pretension. Over the 35 years I had the privilege to know him, he was a gentleman in the most absolute sense of the word. Though he is deeply missed, his presence endures in the objects he cherished and in our shared love of snuff bottles.

Clare Chu

Four Chinese Quartz and Amethyst Snuff Bottles, 19th-20th Century

晚清-民國 水晶鼻烟壺四支

晚清-民國水晶鼻烟壺四支