The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Thumb Ring

1800s–1900s

China

green and white jade
Diameter: 3.4 cm (1 5/16 in.); Overall: 2.6 cm (1 in.)
Bequest of Cornelia Blakemore Warner 1947.550
Location: Not on view

Description

Jade rings were worn by men on the thumb of the right hand to assist with holding and pulling the string of the archer’s bow. However, thumb rings were also fashionable accessories for civil officials in the late Qing dynasty.
  • ?–1947
    Mrs. Worcester R. [Cornelia Blakemore] Warner [1858–1947], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1947–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Hollis, Howard C. “Bequest of Cornelia B. Warner.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 35, no. 6 (June 1948): 106–111. www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Thumb Ring|url=false|author=|year=1800s–1900s|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.550