Lot 4
![[COLLECTION OF PROF. J. GILBERT & CORA MCALLISTER] GROUP OF FOUR CHINESE AGATE SNUFF BOTTLES](https://media.app.artisio.co/media/104cbde6-0d38-43cb-9e0f-bb721ef57bcf/inventory/6ae957f9-3459-4d6a-ba22-69a27ac034bd/93733c1e-d781-4a44-acb6-f054cf3f1f8e/0001_VlHBME_original.jpeg)
[COLLECTION OF PROF. J. GILBERT & CORA MCALLISTER] GROUP OF FOUR CHINESE AGATE SNUFF BOTTLES
QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY
Auction: 07 November 2025 from 10:00 GMT
Description
清 各式瑪瑙鼻煙壺（共四件）
comprising: one gourd-shaped snuff bottle of plain form; one silhouette agate ‘goldfish’ snuff bottle; one smaller oblong agate snuff bottle carved with trees; and one larger oblong snuff bottle carved with flowers; all with stopper (4)
Dimensions
heights: 4.7cm to 6.3cm; 5.6cm to 7.3cm 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 6, 80, 127, 218. The gourd-shaped one (218) acquired in April 1976 from “MT”; the 'goldfish' one (127) acquired in March 1965 via “HK”; both the smaller ‘tree’ one (6) and the larger ‘flower’ one (80) acquired at auction in 1975.
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