Lot 14

[COLLECTION OF PROF. J. GILBERT & CORA MCALLISTER] GROUP OF FIVE FAMILLE ROSE SNUFF BOTTLES

19TH-20TH CENTURY

Asian Works of Art

Auction: 10 September 2025 from 10:00 BST

Estimate: £200 - £300

Description

十九至二十世紀各式粉彩乾隆款模印八仙圖、雍正款模印人物紋、道光款廣彩人物紋、龍紋、人物紋鼻菸壺（共五件）

comprising: a larger bottle with moulded Eight Immortals, the base inscribed with a four-character Qianlong mark, with a cinnar lacquer stopper, 8.2cm high without stopper; one moulded ‘fugural’ bottle, the base inscribed with a four-character apocryphal Yongzheng mark, with a jade-like stopper, 6.3cm high without stopper; a Cantone fammile rose bottle, the base inscribed with a four-character Daoguang mark, jade-like stopper, 5.1cm high without stopper; one of flattened globular form painted with dragons, red stopper, 6.2cm high without stopper; and one painted with a male and female figures on each side, 5.9cm high without stopper (5)

Dimensions

heights: 5.1cm to 8.2cm high without stopper

Provenance

Collection of Prof. J. Gilbert & Cora McAllister, thence by descent. With collector's handwritten note and Collector's Numbers 74, 195, 215, 32, 41 (see images).

Dr. J. Gilbert McAllister (1904–1993) was Emeritus Professor in Anthropology at the University of Texas. Primarily a cultural anthropologist, he also carried out significant archaeological research. Cora McAllister (1904-1995) graduated from the University of Texas in 1924 as a Member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 1933–1934, she and Gilbert lived amongst Kiowa-Apache Indians in Oklahoma, where Gilbert conducted field research. In 1935, Gilbert was lured back to the University of Texas, where, by 1935, he became Chairman of the department and head of a large archaeological program. There, Gilbert (or Dr. Mac as he was affectionately known by his students) made his name as an archaeological administrator and especially as a remarkable teacher for over 33 years until his retirement in 1968. In a Memorial Resolution Committee Memorandum, it is noted that he had a “massive integrity about him” and “we talk about role models these days. He was one of the good ones.”

Cora and Gilbert’s large and eclectic collection was informed by a deep love for Asian cultures and antiquities, coupled with a scholarly approach. Their collection spanned vast time periods, materials, and included cultures of China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and more. The collection was mostly acquired in the 1960s and 1970s, variously from Cora and Gilbert’s friends and fellow academics who made trips to Asia (some of whom were commissioned specifically by Gilbert), their usual dealers and contacts, as well as from fellow collectors.

For more information about Dr and Ms McAllister, please visit: https://shaybo-therisingtide.blogspot.com/2014/08/j-gilbert-mcallister-memorial.html?m=1

Footnote

Please note this lot will be offered with no reserve. 本拍品不設底價