Page 6 - Bonhams Indian Private Collection of Snuff Bottles March 2016 New York

The Rod and Marcia Howard collection of Chinese snuff bottles
began with a surprise Christmas gift from husband to wife in the
early 1970’s. Although their attraction to snuff bottles began with
trips to the annual Palmer House gift fair in Chicago where they
encountered a dealer who carried Chinese snuff bottles along with
other Asian art. Owning a camera and gift store in Fort Wayne,
Indiana that also carried collectables like Hummel porcelain figurines,
Baccarat and Lalique crystal, the Howards witnessed collecting as a
passion as well as a compulsion.

From the first bottle their collection would grow to over a hundred
carefully selected examples, with guidance and thoughtful
suggestions from noted dealers Robert Hall, Hugh Moss, Robert
Kleiner and Clare Chu among others. Ultimately all collections become
a reflection of the collector, and a survey of the Howard snuff bottles
shows a predilection for early glass as well as an excellent eye for
good jades. In later years the connoisseurship of Chinese snuff bottles
would broaden Marcia’s interest into other avenues of the arts of Asia.

The Howards became active members of the International Chinese
Snuff Bottle Society, attending their first convention in Kansas City
in 1976. After their first, their presence at the annual convention
was nearly unbroken attending Hong Kong in 1978, Philadelphia
1979, Honolulu 1981, New York 1982, Toronto 1983, Los Angeles
1984, Dallas 1985, Baltimore 1986, London 1987, San Francisco
1988, Chicago 1989, Hong Kong 1990, Boston 1991, Vancouver
1992, New York 1993 and Beijing 1996. Their continual attendance
after 1996 both fulfilled their love of travel and hobby of collecting.
The Howards would become friends with many of their fellow
enthusiasts, forging close bonds with Robert and Janine Chilcott
and Jack and Florence Rotholz, among others. In addition, a
selection of the Howards’ favorite snuff bottles composed the cover
on the June 1979 Journal.

Rod and Marcia Howard

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