A WHITE AND RUSSET JADE ‘DEER AND PINE’ ARCHER’S THUMB RING
China, Qing Dynasty, Attributed to the Qianlong period
The cylindrical ring, carved out of desirable pure white stone with light russet...

A WHITE AND RUSSET JADE ‘DEER AND PINE’ ARCHER’S THUMB RING
China, Qing Dynasty, Attributed to the Qianlong period
The cylindrical ring, carved out of desirable pure white stone with light russet inclusions, is adorned in low relief with a deer standing four square and a pine tree, rocks and a lingzhi (longevity) fungus. The skilful craftsman used the russet inclusion to complete the design, thereby giving a colour to the autumn forest soil.
H: 2,4 cm – w: 3,1 cm
Weight: 27,6 grams
Notes:
1. 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. 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. Originally an implement of warfare, archer’s rings have evolved into an item of jewellery. Our is a good examples of that evolution.
2. The Chinese character for deer is 鹿 which is pronounced lu.  The Chinese character 禄, which refers to the salary a government official receives, is also pronounced lu.  A picture of a deer is therefore expressing a wish for a top government office with a high salary. The deer is traditionally believed to be the only animal able to find the magical lingzhi fungus of immortality.
3. Compare with three archer's rings, the first one offered at Sotheby's Hong Kong, China, 2015/06/01, lot 314, sold for HKD250.000 BP incl., the second one offered at Christie's London South Kensington, United Kingdom, 2015/05/12, lot 143, sold for GBP8.750 BP incl., and the third one offered at Christie's New York, The United States of America, 2014/09/19, lot 1286, sold for USD21.250 BP incl.

白赤玉扳指“鹿与松” 
中国，清乾隆年间

[INTERNET KEYWORDS] CHINA, CHINESE, QING, ANTIQUE, CERAMIC, PORCELAIN, PAINTING, SCROLL, JADE, DYNASTIE, JAPANESE, VIETNAMESE

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