A monkey tries to climb on the back of a horse. The horse seems to protest with its mouth wide open while the monkey grabs the horse’s manes and appears to scream back. This a typical Chinese depiction full of symbolism. A monkey (hou) riding a horse (ma) is a pun ‘May you immediately be promoted to the rank of marquis’ (Mashang fenghou). This carving would be the ideal gift to an aspiring official. The carving of this netsuke is of exceptional quality. The eyes of the horse are inlaid with horn and have black pupils while the monkey’s eyes are inlaid in black. The carving is signed Yu Shi (玉石). Height 3.6 cm. Width 4.4 cm. Depth 3.1 cm.