Four Chinese Yellow and Pale Amber Glass Snuff Bottles, 18th to 19th Century

清中期黃料及琥珀料鼻烟壺四支

-The first, circa 1770-1850, Imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing, of slightly bulging circular form, with a slightly flared cylindrical neck, flat lip, wide mouth and neatly-carved protruding oval footrim surrounding a slightly convex foot, the transparent undecorated lemon-yellow body with opalescent tone, well-carved mock mask-and-rings to the narrow sides.
-The second, 19th century, of flattened ovoid form, the shoulders sloping to a slightly flared neck, with a concave lip and protruding oval footrim, the body of egg-yolk yellow tone, the undecorated main sides darkening to a deeper color towards the center, the narrow sides with well-carved mask-and-rings.
-The third,18th century, of rounded rectangular form, the shoulders sloping to a slightly tapering neck, the mouth and base flat, with a shallow protruding oval footrim, the undecorated body of a golden-brown hue, the interior extensively crizzled and pitted.
-The fourth, 18th century. Glass of flattened circular form, the shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck, with a slightly concave lip and protruding oval footrim, the translucent lemon-yellow body with opalescent tone, undecorated except for finely-carved mask-and-rings on the narrow sides. Probably Imperial, attributed to the Beijing Palace Workshops.

Largest Height without stopper 2 3/4 in., 6.9 cm.

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

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Provenance:

-the first: Barry Friedman, New York

Eric Sies, Jadestone Gallery, Portland, Oregon

Bonhams New York, March 19, 2024, lot 420

-The second: Long Island Auctions, NY, August 26, 2019, lot 139

-The third: Clars Auction Gallery, Oakland, California, October 14, 2018, lot 3030

-The fourth: Bonhams, San Francisco, June 25, 2019, lot 10

-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 Yellow and Pale Amber Glass Snuff Bottles, 18th to 19th Century

清中期 黃料及琥珀料鼻烟壺四支

Four Chinese Yellow and Pale Amber Glass Snuff Bottles, 18th to 19th Century

清中期 黃料及琥珀料鼻烟壺四支

清中期黃料及琥珀料鼻烟壺四支

清中期黃料及琥珀料鼻烟壺四支