- 88
AN INLAID 'HUNTERS' ZITAN BOX AND COVER ATTRIBUTED TO ZHOU ZHU, MING DYNASTY, JIAJING PERIOD
Description
- zitan
Provenance
Condition
"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."
Catalogue Note
The design on the present box illustrates the legend of the master archer, Yang Youji, who lived in the Spring and Autumn Period during the reign of Chu Zhuangwang (590-560BC). In preparation for war, Chu initiated a series of tests for skilled archers in which Yang joined. Chu asked Yang to shoot a dragonfly without killing it, which Yang successfully achieved by shooting it in the left wing. Chu further asked Yang to shoot an agile white monkey, which even the best archers could not hit. Yang picked up his bow and arrow and aimed it at the place where the moving monkey had not yet arrived before successfully releasing it, revealing his ability to hit his target before actually hitting his target.
The most comprehensive group of related inlaid-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. nos. 219-48. A box decorated with a hunting scene, most probably the work of Zhou, is published in The Palace Museum Collection of Elite Carving, Beijing, 2004, pl. 100, together with a container luxuriously embellished on all sides with gems forming flowers, fruits and birds, pl. 99.
While Zhou's birth date is unknown, the Jiajing period attribution to his work is confirmed by an inlaid box that bears an inscription of a date corresponding to 1537 inscribed in red lacquer on the base, sold in these rooms, 8th October 2010, lot 2192, richly embellished with an inlay decoration depicting a scene from a Mongolian hunt. A cinnabar lacquer box depicting a similar hunt was also sold in these rooms in the same sale, lot 2213. The two boxes are undoubtedly the products of the same workshop and possibly made by Zhou himself. It is worth noting that the sides of the lacquer box mentioned above are richly carved with blossoming branches, not dissimilar in style to that seen on this box, suggesting that the idea for the decoration may have derived from carved lacquer vessels. Arguably the most outstanding work attributed to Zhou Zhu in any museum or private collection is the massive inlaid zitan box and cover sold in these rooms, 16th/17th November 1988, lot 256, and again, 4th April 2012, lot 179, from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat collection.