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ring

Object NameArcher's Thumb Ring
Translation雄黃色玻璃扳指
Manufacturer Imperial Workshops (China)
Made FromRealgar Glass
Dateprobably 1736–1795
Place MadeChina, probably Beijing
TechniqueMold-blown, polished
SizeOverall H: 2.1, Diam: 3 cm
Accession Number2023.6.3
Curatorial Area(s)
Not On View
Interpretive Notes
Throughout Asia, military archers, like the Manchu conquerors who founded the Qing dynasty, wore thumb rings, usually made from deer antlers, to help steady their shots. The Qianlong emperor commissioned ornamental ones made of glass, a symbolic nod and tie to his Manchu ancestors.
Physical DescriptionArcher's Thumb Ring (雄黃色玻璃扳指). Ruby-red, orange-yellow and orange-brown glass (of the type known as ‘realgar-glass’); mold-blown glass, polished. Thumb-ring of tapered cylindrical form with one convex end and one concave end, the outer surface and the convex end in ruby-red, the rest in orange.
Provenance
Source Hugh Moss
Unrecorded Hong Kong dealer prior to 1975
Michael Kaynes collection
Robert Kleiner (June 2001)
Water, Pine and Stone Retreat collection (Hugh Moss)
Acquired from Hugh Moss, Hong Kong, in 2023. Arriving in Hong Kong in 1962, Michael Kaynes was a teacher who collected extensively from local dealers, and was particularly close to Y. F. Yang, a Hong Kong collector and dealer specializing in snuff bottles. Kaynes founded the local Snuff Bottle Society, and edited its publication for many years until retiring to the UK in the 1970s.
Former Collection Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection
Unrecorded Hong Kong dealer prior to 1975
Michael Kaynes collection
Robert Kleiner (June 2001)
Water, Pine and Stone Retreat collection (Hugh Moss)
Acquired from Hugh Moss, Hong Kong, in 2023. Arriving in Hong Kong in 1962, Michael Kaynes was a teacher who collected extensively from local dealers, and was particularly close to Y. F. Yang, a Hong Kong collector and dealer specializing in snuff bottles. Kaynes founded the local Snuff Bottle Society, and edited its publication for many years until retiring to the UK in the 1970s.
Former Collection Robert Kleiner
Former Collection Michael Kaynes Collection
Unrecorded Hong Kong dealer prior to 1975
Michael Kaynes collection
Robert Kleiner (June 2001)
Water, Pine and Stone Retreat collection (Hugh Moss)
Acquired from Hugh Moss, Hong Kong, in 2023. Arriving in Hong Kong in 1962, Michael Kaynes was a teacher who collected extensively from local dealers, and was particularly close to Y. F. Yang, a Hong Kong collector and dealer specializing in snuff bottles. Kaynes founded the local Snuff Bottle Society, and edited its publication for many years until retiring to the UK in the 1970s.
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