Four Chinese Snuff Bottles, Primarily 19th Century

清晚期鼻烟壺四支

-The first circa 1820-1900, coconut shell of bulging tapering square section, skillfully assembled in panels, with a cylindrical neck, flat lip and protruding square footrim, the well-patinated body with applied mask-and-ring carvings to two opposing sides, the remainder undecorated.
-The second circa 1840-1880, sharkskin or shagreen of flattened ovoid shape, with a short neck, flat lip and flat base, the attractive covering evenly applied with joins on the narrow sides.
-The third, 19th century, possibly later. Horn of flattened ovoid form, with a slightly waisted neck, flat lip and base, the butterscotch body with dark brown and russet streaks, carved on the main sides in low relief to depict Buddhist symbols (ashtamangala) within an oval border, the narrow sides with bats
-The fourth, circa 1820-1900, coconut shell of slightly bulging tapering faceted form, with a short cylindrical neck, flat lip and protruding oval footrim, the body hexagonally faceted, undecorated except for well-carved and applied mask-and rings on two of the opposing facets.

Largest Height without stopper 2 9/16 in., 6.5 cm.

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

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Provenance:

-the first: a private Southern California collection

Clare Chu Asian Art, September 2023;

-The second: Rolli Herman Collection, Ashkenazi & Co., San Francisco, 1981

The Rachel R. Holden Collection, sold Christie’s New York, March 21, 2000, lot 180

-The horn: Auctions at Showplace, New York, August 20, 2023, lot 82

-The fourth: Altair Auction June, 28, 2017, lot 2

-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 Snuff Bottles, Primarily 19th Century

清晚期 鼻烟壺四支

清晚期鼻烟壺四支