China. Reasonably well hollowed, finely carved in relief and neatly incised to one side with a seated luohan facing a craggy rock and gazing up toward the crescent moon and to the other with a fire-breathing coiled snake amid scrolling clouds, its tail continuing over to the front side. The stone of a white tone with grayish-black and russet shadings skillfully incorporated into the depiction.

Provenance: Leslie Gifford Kilborn, USA, and thence by descent in the same family. Leslie Gifford Kilborn (1895-1972), son of Retta and Omar Kilborn, was born in Sichuan, China. He greatly advanced missionary work in Western China, was the author of multiple texts and served as dean of the College of Medicine of the West China Union University. In 1952, he left China and became a professor of physiology at the University of Hong Kong. Old collector’s label ‘101’ to base.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear, microscopic nibbling to mouth, the stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.

Stopper: Amethyst with platelet and old spoon
Weight: 92.5 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 67 mm, Width neck 21 mm and Diameter mouth 7 mm

Of flattened heart-shaped form with a broad oval foot and a waisted neck with an everted lip.

The present bottle is attributed to Wang Heng (also known as Wang Rong, 1817-1882). He is listed in Zhongguo meishu jiaren mincidian, page 462. His other signed bottles include one in the J & J Collection, illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, number 292, a pebble-shaped bottle in the Bloch Collection which bears a date corresponding to 1816, and a signed, but undated, root-amber example in the Denis Low Collection.

Expert’s note: The attribution to Wang Heng stems from the near-identical bottle sold in these rooms in March 2021 (see Auction result comparison), which shows the signature Shishou Shanren, the hao of this artist. Comparing the style and fine quality of the carving, but especially the stone and the form of the bottle, leaves no other conclusion but that this snuff bottle was carved by the master himself and left unsigned. Needless to say, both the bottle sold in March 2021 and the present lot have the same provenance, Leslie Gifford Kilborn.

Auction result comparison: Compare with an amber snuff bottle by the same artist at Christie‘s New York in Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the J&J Collection, Part IV on 22 March 2007, lot 16, sold for USD 24,000.

汪鑅（1817-1882)款 灰白玉留皮羅漢鼻烟壺
中國。掏膛良好，一面浮雕羅漢面對一塊巨石打坐，抬頭望向新月；另一面可見雲中一條噴火盤繞的蛇，尾巴一直延伸到前方。 灰白玉石頭巧妙結合灰黑色和赤褐色色調。

來源：美國Leslie Gifford Kilborn，自此保存在同一家族. Leslie Gifford Kilborn (1895-1972), Retta and Omar Kilborn的兒子，出生於中國四川。他極大地促進了中國西部的傳教工作，是多篇著作的作者，還曾擔任過華西聯合大學醫學院的院長。 1952年，他離開中國，成為香港大學生理學教授。藏家老標簽 ‘101’。
品相：狀況極佳，有輕微磨損，壺嘴処有細微的磕損，石料有天然裂縫，隨著時間的推移，其中一些裂縫可能會發展成細小的裂縫。

壺蓋：紫晶，蓋托，老壺匙
重量：92.5 克
尺寸：縂高 67毫米, 壺頸款21 毫米，壺嘴直徑7 毫米

專家注釋：一件同樣為汪鑅款且外觀十分相似的鼻烟壺于2021年3月在本拍賣行售出（見拍賣結果比較），上面可見落款“石壽山人”。 比較兩者的雕刻風格和質量，尤其是石料和瓶子的形狀，現鼻烟壺應是大師親自雕刻，但沒有簽名。2021 年 3 月售出的鼻烟壺和現在這件都出自Leslie Gifford Kilborn收藏。

拍賣結果比較：一件同一藝術家的琥珀鼻烟壺，見紐約佳士得Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the J&J Collection, Part IV，2007年3月22日，lot 16，售價USD 24,000。