The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Thumb Ring

Thumb Ring

1736–95
(1644–1911), Qianlong reign (1736–95)
spinach green jade
Diameter: 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in.); Overall: 2.5 cm (1 in.)
Gift of Mrs. John Lyon Collyer in memory of her mother, Mrs. G. M. G. Forman 1970.140
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.
  • ?-1970
    Mrs. John Lyon [Georgia Forman Elliott] Collyer [1898–1994], given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1970-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1970.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 58, no. 2, 1971, pp. 22–71. Mentioned: p. 70, cat. 147 www.jstor.org
  • China through the Magnifying Glass: Masterpieces in Miniature and Detail. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 11, 2022-February 26, 2023).
    Facing the Ancestors: Chinese Portraits and Figure Painting – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 12, 2019-February 2, 2020).
    Year in Review: 1970. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-March 7, 1971).
  • {{cite web|title=Thumb Ring|url=false|author=|year=1736–95|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1970.140