A VERY FINE AND RARE JADEITE RETICULATED THUMB RING

19th century

19th century
Of cylindrical form with the top rim of rounded slanted form and the lower rim bevelled, skillfully decorated in openwork with four medallions each enclosing a bat with a single auspicious fruit including finger citron, peach, pomegranate and gourd, each medallion flanked by a pair of confronted bats, all framed between key-fret bands, the lower rim with a geometric design, the attractive semi-translucent stone of apple-green and frost-white tones. 3.1cm (1 1/4in) diam.

十九世紀 鏤雕福壽紋翡翠扳指

Provenance:
Parry Collection, London, and thence by descent

來源：
倫敦Parry家族收藏，並由後人保存迄今

Historically, archery was central to Chinese life, being used during hunting activities, battles and various sports. Thumb rings, such as the present lot, were used by archers as protection and to aid in releasing the bowstring. During the Qing dynasty, thumb rings were produced in various media and carved with a profusion of subjects ranging from poems, flowers, figures and landscape views. They were highly fashionable among the literati as symbols of culture and wealth.

Jadeite rings carved in openwork are rare. A plain jadeite thumb ring, 18th/19th century, in the British Royal Collection, London, is illustrated by J.Ayers, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, vol.3, p.809, no.1881.

A related plain jadeite archer's thumb ring, 18th/19th century, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3896.

中國使用弓箭的歷史十分悠久，自古以來，箭術即是戰爭、狩獵和運動中必不可少的部分。韘，即扳指，最早為騎射之具，於拉弓時佩戴，用來保護手指同時可減少手指的運動量，並且有助於準確釋放弓弦。及至明末，射箭術不再是一項必不可少的技能。清代的扳指則愈發少了功能性而重裝飾性，紋飾題材日益豐富，成為王公貴族和文人雅士把玩炫耀之物。

鏤雕裝飾的翡翠扳指較為少見，參考英國皇家收藏信託所藏一例清乾隆翡翠扳指，收錄於J.Ayers著，《Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen》，卷三，頁809，編號1881。

另見一例十八/十九世紀翡翠扳指，售於香港佳士得，2011年6月1日，拍品編號3896。