The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Thumb Ring

Thumb Ring

1800s–1900s
Diameter: 3.4 cm (1 5/16 in.); Overall: 2.6 cm (1 in.)
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=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

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