明嘉靖 紫檀嵌玉石「蒙人騎馬」圖蓋盒 （傳）周柱製

of rounded rectangular form with a domed cover and a slightly recessed base surrounded by a beaded footrim, the top inlaid in mother-of-pearl, azurite, malachite, soapstone, stained bone, cinnabar lacquer, jet, coconut-shell, glass, silver and bronze with a Mongol equestrian bowman turning backwards in his saddle, gazing at the sun as his horse stands with its left foreleg raised in a landscape set with rockwork, bamboo and lingzhi, swirled clouds in the distance, the slightly raised cover rim inlaid in silver with a frieze of leiwen repeated around the box rim 

There are a few light scratches around the cover and beneath the box. There is a small polished chip 0.5 cm at one corner of the cover rim, and a small shallow dent approx. 7 mm. above the footrim at one corner of the box, another minor nick above the footrim along the narrow side. However, the box is in very good overall condition with good condition to the inlays.
"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."

The present box is a rare example of a group of inlaid boxes attributed to the work of Ming period master carver and artist Zhou Zhu. For a detailed discussion on Zhou and his work see the notes to lot 179 in this catalogue.

Compare a zitan circular form covered box with a complex inlay decoration of a single Mongol huntsman on horseback, from the collection of Mary and George Bloch, sold in these rooms, 23rd October 2005, lot 90; two further boxes decorated in this technique illustrated in Selected Handicrafts from the Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1974, pls. 51 and 87; and another published in The Exquisite Chinese Artefacts: Collection of the Ching Wan Society, Taipei, 1995, pl. 92.

The inspiration for the decoration may have come from contemporary or slightly earlier paintings; see a late fifteenth century painting fragment included in the exhibition Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600-1600, the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 162, depicting a subject of a huntsman on horseback holding a falcon.