Carved jade archer’s rings |
Qing dynasty ivory rings |
Jade rings |
It is not often
that an implement of warfare evolves into an item of jewelry. But that
is precisely what happened with Chinese archer’s rings.
From ancient times,
archery in Asia was well developed for warfare, hunting, and sport.
Archery implements have been unearthed in Chinese tombs going back at
least 4000 years. The Mongolian warriors who conquered China in 1271
to establish the Yuan dynasty owed much of their success to their skill
in shooting arrows from horseback. Their implements, techniques, and
tactics allowed them to shoot their targets from galloping horses and
then twist around in the saddle for a parting backward shot after passing.
The Manchu clan that conquered China 400 years later to establish China’s
final dynasty, the Qing, was equally skilled with bow and arrow. Their
prowess with archery—again, especially from horseback—allowed
a relatively small band of Manchus to conquer all of China and rule
it for over 250 years.
A number of technological
developments contributed to the success of archery in north-eastern
China. Among these was the use of archer’s rings, called she
in ancient China (modern term banzhi). The archer’s ring
is used on the thumb of the stronger hand, the one that pulls the bowstring.
In addition to protecting the thumb, the ring provides a precise release
action for the bowstring. The sidebar explains how these thumb rings
were actually used.
Earliest known archer’s
ring |
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An early form of archer’s
thumb ring was found in the tomb of Fu Hao, the powerful consort of the
fourth king of the Shang dynasty (1250 B.C.). Like other very early archer’s
rings, it had a slot cut into it to engage the bowstring. Other early
rings, from roughly the Zhou dynasty period (about 1000 B.C.), had a small
tooth projecting from the side. Archaeologists speculate that this helped
pull the bowstring across the trigger mechanism of a crossbow, but that
it later degenerated into a traditional embellishment. Some early archer’s
rings, including Fu Hao’s, have one or more small suspension holes
to allow the ring to be tied to the archer’s wrist or belt.
Archery was also
used for hunting game. Upcoming bow-and-arrow hunts were mentioned in
Chinese “oracle bone” inscriptions dating back 3,500 years.
From its beginnings in warfare and hunting, archery soon became a sport,
and later, a skill that any cultured Chinese gentleman was expected
to master. Up through the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
archery remained one of the standard examination tests for civil service.
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Early agate archer’s
rings |
As the Qing
dynasty declined in the late 1800s and China faced attack from modern
foreign powers, archery became less relevant as a military skill. Chinese
scholar-gentlemen soon dispensed with the difficult business of actually
mastering archery and simply wore an archer’s ring on their thumb
to imply a manly skill they did not truly possess. Many Chinese portraits
painted in the 18th and 19th centuries depict high officials and well-off
merchants—who clearly spent no time on horseback chasing down targets—proudly
wearing their archer’s rings. From its practical origins four millennia
earlier, the archer’s ring had evolved into a fashionable adornment,
a status symbol among the wealthy and cultured.
Embellishing the Rings
It’s surprising that an item as small and plain
as a cylindrical thumb ring can provide so much opportunity for artistry.
Much of the enjoyment of these rings comes from the materials they are
made of. The earliest archer’s rings were usually made of horn,
jade, or ivory. But as archer’s rings became more ornamental and
less practical, the materials that could be used expanded greatly. In
this way they are very similar to Chinese snuff bottles, and many of
the same materials were used.
Iron
and silver and enamel rings |
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The
archer’s ring must be reasonably hard and durable. To a Westerner
the obvious choice of material would be metal, but surprisingly few
metal rings are known. Perhaps forming a ring from bronze or silver
was simply not challenging enough for the Chinese artisan.
Archer’s rings in various hardstones are the most common. Of course
the stone that holds the place of honor in China is jade. Nephrite jade
is in fact a very practical choice as it is the toughest (hardest to
break) of all stones, and lovely as well. As we have seen, the oldest
known archer’s ring was made of this precious material. By the
Qing dynasty, archer’s rings had mostly become personal adornments
rather than utilitarian accessories for archery, and many of them were
now made from the other type of true jade, jadeite. Jadeite, which was
not used in China in significant amounts until the late 1700s, comes
in a more exciting color palette than its sister jade, nephrite. Nephrite’s
subtle colors, and jadeite’s more brilliant hues, along with the
swirls and patches of contrasting color often seen in jade, make even
an undecorated thumb ring a thing of beauty.
Although many thumb rings are left undecorated to show off the material,
others have a design or inscription incised into the ring’s cylindrical
surface or carved in low relief. Agate is another popular material for
thumb rings, and the artist often takes advantage of that material to
carve cameo style scenes through contrasting layers of color.
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Mughal jade archer’s rings |
In
India, the archer’s rings are usually of the tabbed form, rather
than the cylindrical Manchu style. Many of these are nephrite jade,
and India’s Mughal rulers had them decorated with elaborate inlays
of gold and precious stones.
Glass can be used for thumb rings, either overlay carved, as in a snuff
bottle, or simply imitating another material such as jade. The famous
snuff bottle collector Emily Byrne Curtis had a clear glass ring painted
on the inside with butterflies and flowers to match one of her inside-painted
snuff bottles. The pair is illustrated in Bob C. Stevens’ The
Collector’s Book of Snuff Bottles. The inside of her ring
is lined with silver to protect the painting.
Peking
glass rings |
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It
is interesting that early rings that show signs of usage and burial
are often thinner walled and carefully shaped on the inside instead
of being precisely cylindrical, as if custom fitted to the archer’s
thumb. Some early rings are also carved with designs on the inside,
possibly to increase the archer’s grip on the ring.
One issue that arises with cylindrical rings is “which end is
up?” These rings usually have one end chamfered and the other
concave (dished in). Logically one might think that the concave end
should go against the bowstring to provide the sharpest release action.
But Stephen Markbreiter in his 1975 Arts of Asia article argues for
just the opposite, since placing the concave end toward the thumbnail
provides more freedom of movement for the thumb. Even paintings showing
archer’s rings being worn are of little help in resolving this
question, since few of the subjects ever actually used the rings in
archery. Most rings with scenes or inscriptions on them support Markbreiter’s
view, if we assume the scene is to be viewed by the wearer, not by others.
A
Famous Set of Rings
Even
more impressive than a well-carved single ring are sets of rings. Several
rings of similar or complementary types, in a fancy case, made the perfect
gift for a friend (or bribe for an official). The cases holding sets
of archer’s rings are often as impressive as the rings themselves.
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Magnificent Imperial set of seven
archer’s rings and case |
A famous set of archer’s
rings was auctioned in April 2007 at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Lot 602,
“Extraordinary Group of Seven Jade Imperial Archer’s Rings,”
along with its original fitted cinnabar box and cover, former property
of the Qianlong emperor (and probably stolen from the Summer Palace),
went to an Asian collector for the princely sum of US$6.1 million. Qianlong,
perhaps the most well-known emperor, was a major patron of Chinese arts.
He also strongly promoted the preservation of traditional Manchu culture
and heritage, of which archery and archer’s rings were key elements.
It is not surprising that the famous engraving of Qianlong which is the
frontispiece to Sir George Staunton’s account of Lord Macartney’s
embassy to China shows archer’s rings conspicuously displayed on
both of Qianlong’s thumbs.
The seven Qianlong rings, identical in size and shape, are of white
jade, light and dark green jade, “red skin” green jade,
and archaic Han jade. The rings are incised with scenes of mountains,
pines, and clouds and the Emperor’s poems in his own calligraphy.
One white ring, for example, is carved with the poem “Fishing
Alone at Hanjiang River,” a poem Qianlong likely composed specifically
for this ring as the figures and calligraphy are in complete harmony.
These poems provide revealing insights into the ruler across several
decades of his reign.
Carved
hardstone rings |
The round lacquer box that holds the rings is carved with a design of
three fish and flower scrolls. The inside of the box is incised with
two additional Qianlong poems, including “Song of the Jade Archer’s
Rings.” The base has a four-character Qianlong reign mark. Each
ring is kept in a yellow silk liner within separate compartments to
prevent damage. The Imperial workshops devoted extraordinary care to
the design and workmanship of these masterpiece rings and their container.
Archer’s
Rings as Jewelry
Nephrite
ring |
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Thumb ring
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Chinese
thumb rings need not reside passively on a collector’s shelf—they
can be worn as attractive (and durable) items of jewelry. The simplest
and most obvious way is simply to wear it as a ring on the thumb or
other finger. Some Manchu-style rings are too thick to wear comfortably
this way, however, especially for women. A thumb ring can also make
a “conversation piece” pendant, worn on a precious metal
chain with the most attractive side facing outward. A Mughal-style ring
inlaid with gold and gems offers additional opportunities for incorporation
into jewelry designs.
Decorative Uses
Chinese
objects incorporating thumb rings |
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With
the modernization of China in the 1920s, thumb rings became useless
even for status purposes, and great quantities became available for
other decorative uses. Most of these rings are made of low-quality jade
or pseudojade, and are still being made today. They appear on all sorts
of made-in-China objects where a small cylindrical decoration is needed.
These include miniature flowerpots, handles for Chinese charcoal-heated
irons, opium lamp barrels and opium pipe dampers, parts of walking sticks,
scroll ends, napkin rings, snuff bottles, saltshakers, toothpick holders,
and even as mouthpieces for Chinese musical instruments. A few examples
are shown here.
A Word for the Collector
Collecting Chinese thumb rings shares many similarities and advantages
with collecting snuff bottles. Several dozen rings can be housed in
a single small padded box. The rings are less fragile than snuff bottles,
less expensive, and are available in the same broad variety of materials
and artistic motifs. Like so many Chinese decorative arts, top-quality
archer’s rings were once easy to find at very low cost. But the
better examples sought by collectors today—interesting rings of
top-quality material, with good carving, signs of use, and no damage—have
become scarce and costly. The beginning collector should become acquainted
with the limited literature on the subject and see as many collections
as possible before making any serious purchases. An exceptionally fine
collection of more than 500 thumb rings is housed in the Grayson Archery
Collection at the University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology.
Whether you wear your archer’s rings, collect them, or merely
admire them in a museum, you are honoring a humble object that contributed
to the conquest of China itself.
Copyright © Eric J. Hoffman.
Originally published by Adornment Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Winter 2007)
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