Three Chinese Amber Snuff Bottles, 18th to 19th Century

清中期琥珀鼻烟壺三支

-The first, 18th century, of flattened squat rounded form, the shoulders sloping to a short cylindrical neck, with a slightly concave lip and protruding concave oval foot, one main side carved in low relief to depict a robed figure kneeling on a carpet, holding a prunus branch, the reverse with a female figure standing near a large tropical plant behind a fence, holding a fan, a leafy plant above and to her left, the latter plant and fan very lightly incised, the narrow sides with well-carved mask-and-rings in high relief, the interior evenly crizzled, very well hollowed.
-The second, 19th century, of flattened rounded-rectangular form, the shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck, with a concave lip and protruding oval footrim, the well-hollowed body undecorated on the main sides, the shoulders with finely-carved mask-and-rings extending onto the main sides
-The third, 18th-early 19th century, of compressed baluster form, with a short cylindrical neck, flat lip, and protruding concave oval foot, the honey-colored body with scattered black inclusions, the interior extensively crizzled, the main sides undecorated, the narrow sides with finely-carved mask-and-rings, finely hollowed.

Largest Height without stopper 2 11/16 in., 6.8 cm.

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

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Provenance:

-the first: Eddie’s Auction, New York, March 15, 2020, lot 88

-the second, Doyle Auction, New York, September 20, 2023, lot 2

-the third, Bonhams, Los Angeles, June 22, 2021, lot 368

-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

Three Chinese Amber Snuff Bottles, 18th to 19th Century

清中期 琥珀鼻烟壺三支

清中期琥珀鼻烟壺三支