Lot 16
![[COLLECTION OF PROF. J. GILBERT & CORA MCALLISTER] GROUP OF THREE CHINESE AMETHYST SNUFF BOTTLE](https://media.app.artisio.co/media/104cbde6-0d38-43cb-9e0f-bb721ef57bcf/inventory/d1b98aa0-4456-4062-a680-343b76a3f224/98b5cd3f-fa2a-4679-983f-aafbc2cf933e/0001_XIZnLF_original.jpeg)
[COLLECTION OF PROF. J. GILBERT & CORA MCALLISTER] GROUP OF THREE CHINESE AMETHYST SNUFF BOTTLE
POSSIBLY SCHOOL OF THE RUSTIC CRYSTAL MASTER, QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY
Auction: 07 November 2025 from 10:00 GMT
Description
清 或拙朴水晶大師流派 各式紫晶雕鼻煙壺（共三件）帶一木座
comprising: one rounded form finely carved in low relief on both sides with a bat and large pine tree; one oblong form incised with leafy orchids; and one of peach-form on leafy branch, with wooden stand, all with stopper (3)
Dimensions
heights: 4.5cm to 6.5cm; 6cm 7.2cm with stopper
Provenance
Collection of Prof. J. Gilbert & Cora McAllister, thence by descent based in England. With collector's handwritten note and Collector's Number 132 and 141. The ‘bat the pine tree’ one (141) and the the ‘orchid' one (132) both acquired in 1974 from or via “RO”.
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
The attribution of a group of crystal and quartzite bottles to the 'Rustic Crystal Master' refers to a yet unplaced school of hardstone carving active in China between circa 1730-1880. One feature is the clever use of the natural flaws in the stone, and the ability to masterfully incorporate them into the design, with the vast majority worked in low relief. For a discussion of the distinctive decorative styles of the school, see A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Moss, Graham, and Tsang, Hong Kong, 1998, Vol. 2, no. 255.