Three Chinese Carved Agate Snuff Bottles, 18th-19th Century

清中期瑪瑙鼻烟壺三支

-The first, 19th Century, agate of tapering rectangular form, with a cylindrical neck, flat lip and foot, and slightly recessed base, the coffee and russet stone carved in relief with a continuous design of a sage seated on rockwork beneath a prunus tree, along with a group of five goats.
-The second, Qianlong period, agate “floater”, of flattened ovoid form,
with a cylindrical neck, concave lip and protruding oval footrim, undecorated on main sides, the stone of light grayish tone showing the “sugar-cube” effect, the narrow sides with mask and mock ring
carving, extremely well hollowed.
-The third, 19th Century, agate of double-gourd form, with a cylindrical neck, concave lip and flat recessed base surrounded by a neatly-carved oval protruding footrim, the mushroom-colored body with light-and-dark brown splashes and streaks, a surface inclusion on one main side finely carved with a robed and seated sage, possibly Shoulao, beneath a flying bat, the remainder undecorated; well-hollowed.

Largest Height without stopper 2 5/16 in., 5.8 cm.

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

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Provenance:

-Sage and goats: Sotheby’s, New York, February 26ᵗʰ, 1981, lot 157

-Floater: Sotheby’s, New York, March 17th 1997, lot 292

-Double gourd: Leforby Auction, Hamilton, ON, Canada, November 26, 2022, lot 316

-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 Carved Agate Snuff Bottles, 18th-19th Century

清中期 瑪瑙鼻烟壺三支

清中期瑪瑙鼻烟壺三支