A HARDSTONE-INLAID BOX AND COVER, ATTRIBUTED TO ZHOU ZHU MING DYNASTY, JIAJING PERIOD DATED TO THE DINGYU YEAR (1537)

of rectangular form, the top inlaid with a Mongolian hunting scene, with four huntsmen, their tunics, boots and accessories in finely detailed different colours of soapstone, malachite, azurite, lacquer, bone, horn, turquoise glass and pearls, mounted on horses in different colours of mother-of-pearl, one galloping to catch a goose brought down by an arrow released by the huntsman above, another with a hawk on his arm and the fourth turning to speak to a figure carrying a banner, with a dog at his feet, in a setting with malachite and steatite rocks and mother-of-pearl clouds, all on the rich dark wood ground, the rim of the cover and base with inlaid silver wire scroll bands, the base inscribed in red lacquer paint Da Ming Jiajing dingyou nian zao ('Made in the dingyou year of the Jiajing reign', corresponding to 1537)

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 17th May 1989, lot 351.

Sydney L. Moss Ltd., Escape from the Dusty World.  Chinese Paintings and Literati Works of Art, London, 1999, no. 62.

The overall condition is very good. Some of the tiny seed pearls and turquoise glass beads have fallen out and a couple of the corners of the cover has been touched up. The cover appears to have a sliver shimmed along the top front edge to tighten the shrinkage. There are a few splits in the wood on the box and on the tray (filled with a little lacquer). Some of the wire inlay has been reinforced. The painted date on the bottom is a bit worn but still legible.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This exquisite box belongs to a small group of inlaid boxes typically produced in zitan and occasionally huanghuali, in form characteristically rectangular and finished with beautifully rounded covers and sides. The present box stands out for a number of reasons: the exceptionally fine quality of the inlay suggests the workmanship of the Ming master carver Zhou Zhu, famed for his invention of the technique of inlaying a wide variety of precious stones and other materials onto wood and lacquer, and recorded in the writing of Ming and Qing literati as working in Yangzhou in Jiangsu province during Jiajing's reign. The box also bears an inscription of a date that corresponds to 1537 in red lacquer. No other dated version of this series of boxes decorated with scenes from a Mongolian hunt appear to be recorded. The work of Zhou Zhu is discussed by Chi Jo-Hsin, 'Chou Chu and the craftsmanship of Chou Chih works', Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Chinese Art History, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1991, Antiquities, p.657. A box decorated with a different hunting scene is illustrated in The Palace Museum Collection of Elite Carving, Beijing, 2004, pl. 100, together with a box luxuriously embellished on all sides with gems forming flowers, fruits and birds, pl. 99, both of related size and form to the present piece.

The most comprehensive group of such boxes can be found in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Hong Kong, 2002, cat. no. 219-248, with pl. 230, decorated with another hunting scene. Also compare a box with a scene of ten multi-coloured deer sold in these rooms, 17^th May 1989, lot 348; and another with a scene of a messenger and the poet Su Dongpo, also sold in these rooms, 15^th November 1989, lot 514. 

The carved cinnabar lacquer box in the current sale, lot 2213, depicts a closely related hunting scene as that seen on the present box suggesting that the two boxes may be the product of the same workshop or perhaps were both made by Zhou who regularly used cinnabar lacquer in his inlay work.  

The inspiration for the hunt scene possibly came from fifteenth century Ottoman  paintings; see a painting fragment included in the exhibition Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600-1600, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 162, depicting the subject of a huntsman on horseback holding a falcon and wearing clothing similar to that on the present box.