Lot 35
![[COLLECTION OF PROF. J. GILBERT & CORA MCALLISTER] GROUP OF THREE CHINESE PAINTED ENAMEL SNUFF BOTTLES](https://media.app.artisio.co/media/104cbde6-0d38-43cb-9e0f-bb721ef57bcf/inventory/4d52b470-78fc-4a1d-91bd-9f2ecd084267/38c2ba0d-563e-4e37-ad43-df9de03af07e/0001_XdXqSh_original.jpeg)
[COLLECTION OF PROF. J. GILBERT & CORA MCALLISTER] GROUP OF THREE CHINESE PAINTED ENAMEL SNUFF BOTTLES
LATE QING DYNASTY TO REPUBLIC PERIOD, 19TH-20TH CENTURY
Auction: 07 November 2025 from 10:00 GMT
Description
清末民初 乾隆款（其一） 各式銅胎畫琺瑯鼻煙壺（共三件）
comprising: one rounded painted with a continuous scene of small figures in mountainous landscape in different shades of blue enamels; one oval form painted with small figures by river on either side in cartouches, the narrow sides with flowers on tendrils against black ground, the base incised with two-character mark in blue enamel; and one further pear-shaped snuff bottle of similar decoration, whist the narrow sides with yellow ground, the base inscribed with a four-character Qianlong mark in double square (3)
Dimensions
heights: 4.6cm to 6.3cm; 5.6cm to 7.1cm 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 158 and 159.
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