Page 108 - Bonhams May 16, 2019 London Asian Art

The Lowenthal Collection of Jades

Lots 112 - 128

Hans ‘Jack’ Lowenthal was born in Frankfurt, Germany but at the age the ignition spark was created manually. In 1967, he named the Colibri
of five was brought to Britain with the rest of his family by his father version ‘Molectric’ (molecular electricity). He also supervised Colibri
in 1933. Although he briefly returned to Germany in 1934-1937 he when commisioned to design and manufacture the ‘Golden Gun’ and
thereafter permanently settled London. His father Julius Lowenthal various Colibri products for the James Bond film The Man with the
founded the ‘Smokers and other accessories’ business in Germany in Golden Gun.
1921 but when he invented the most original semi-automatic lighter
in 1928 he named it Colibri. Colibri gift lighters, pens, watches wallets Julius Lowenthal began collecting jades in the 1950s, and one of his
became internationally well-known under the Colibri brand. In 1953, first items included a jade axe (Lot 127). Jack inherited his father’s
Hans Lowenthal joined Colibri and was the Managing Director for over interest in jade and stone carvings and continued to collect and regularly
25 years. Lowenthal enjoyed designing and creating new products and attended auctions. In the late 1960s and 1970s, Jack purchased jade
he holds several important patents. Among the most important of his carvings from several well-known dealers including Louis Joseph, Hugh
inventions was incorporating the Piezo-electric concept into a lighter Moss, Roger Keverne, Michael Gillingham, and Marchants. Jack was a
and thereby creating a lighter that never needed a flint or battery, as particularly passionate collector of tactile jade carvings of animals.