White jade archer's ring ‘Characters’, Qing dynasty

An archer's ring or ‘板指’, made of white jade with a homogenous, translucent tone and a slight surface patina. Its cylindrical, polished body has a slightly rounded upper rim and is engraved in bas-relief with calligraphic characters in a regular style, inscribed in rectangular cartouches with rounded corners, repeated around the piece. The interior is perfectly polished. Qing dynasty (1644-1912) or later.

This type of ring is placed on the thumb of the right hand, which is the thumb of the right hand, to hook the bowstring when archery is practised. Over time they became more decorative than functional. During the Qing dynasty their production became very popular.

Height: 2.2 cm; Diameter: 2.6 cm

Weight: 32.6 g