A SUPERB AND EXTREMELY RARE SILVER-INLAID AND STONE AND MOTHER-OF-PEARL INSET 'GOLDEN' ZITAN THREE-PART STACKING BOX, attributed to Zhou Zhu, Jiajing/Wanli period - Property from an old and important European private collection, bought according records 1928 in Beijing - This exquisite box belongs to a small group of inlaid containers typically produced in the precious zitan wood, and occasionally in huanghuali. Generally they are of rectangular form and are finished with elegantly rounded covers and sides. It is of exceptional quality with the inlay decoration applied both to the cover and the sides which is rarely seen on other boxes of this type. Only one three-tiered box appears to bear such floral side decoration, illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinhua dacidian, Shanghai, 1996, pl. 116 - Property from an old and important European private collection, bought according records 1928 in Beijing - The exceptional workmanship displayed here, especially in the quality of the beautiful inlay suggests that it is by the hand 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. What distinguishes Zhou's works from others is his use of a much broader range of material and the complexity of the inlay itself. On the present box, and on others attributed to him, one finds silver, gold, malachite, lacquer, different types of horn, mother-of-pearl and even gilt-bronze, suggesting that he had access to a wide range of crafts and materials within a single workshop. His inlay technique is extremely multifaceted, as he deployed inlay upon inlay and not just setting different material next to each other but creates a three dimensional effect. He also used precious metals such as gold and silver, often creating stunning multi-layer works of art. Later versions, even very fine and complex works from the height of the Qing dynasty, rarely employed such a wide range of complex inlay techniques. Zhou had many talents and also excelled at carving. He is said to have made furniture such as lacquered wood screens, tables, chairs, cupboards and bookcases. He is recorded in the writings of Ming and Qing literati as having worked in Yangzhou in Jiangsu province during the reign of the Jiajing emperor. While his 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 at Sotheby's Hongkong, 8th October 2010, lot 2192, richly embellished with an inlay decoration depicting a scene from a Mongolian hunt. Another related cinnabar lacquer box depicting a similar hunt, was also sold at Sotheby's Hongkong 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 - The cover with age cracks to side into one panel, few agecracks and remnants of glue, very minor losses to inlays Feine und extrem seltene Stapeldose aus 'goldenem' Zitan mit Stein-, Silber und Perlmutt CHINA, Zhou Zhu zugeschrieben, Jiajing/Wanli-Periode 12,5x18,6x13,5cm Provenienz: Aus einer alten und bedeutenden europäischen Privatsammlung, laut Aufzeichnungen 1928 in Peking erworben - Deckel mit Altersrissan den Kanten, in eine Seite übergehend, wenige sehr kleine Fehlstellen der Einlagen, wenige Klebespuren an den Kanten