CARVED AGATE HAIR ORNAMENT
MING STYLE BUT 20TH CENTURY
二十世紀 瑪瑙雕明式七樑束髮冠 後嵌金屬百寶為鼻烟盒of oblong form, the top detailed with seven ribs, later mounted with British/European style gold-tone metals inset with green beads as snuff bottle, the hinged metal plate on the base engraved with an armorial coat of arms
6cm wide
The Estate of Sir John and Lady Clare Keswick at Portrack House, Dumfriesshire.Sir John Henry Keswick, KCMG (1906–1982) was an influential Scottish businessman in China and Hong Kong. He was the tai-pan of Jardine, Matheson & Co., the leading British trading firm in the Far East, and had established friendships with many Chinese politicians, including Zhou Enlai, Premier of the People's Republic of China, and Madame Soong Ching-ling, wife of Sun Yat-sen during his stay in China. He was also a representative of the Special Operations Executive, a British intelligence service during the Second World War. Sir John spoke fluent Chinese. He was a Chinese art collector, particularly contemporary paintings.He married Clare Mary Alice Cynthia Catherine Celia Elwes (1905–1998) in 1940 and had a child Margaret Keswick (1941–1995) who founded Maggie's Centres for those suffering from cancer. 
Compare to a related agate hair ornament, Ming dynasty, previously in Dr Wou Kiuan's collection, sold at Sotheby's London, 17 May 2023, lot 102.