diff --git a/reference/reference.go b/reference/reference.go
index 17e87d9bf..d3088b685 100644
--- a/reference/reference.go
+++ b/reference/reference.go
@@ -57,6 +57,44 @@ type Reference interface {
 	String() string
 }
 
+// Field provides a wrapper type for resolving correct reference types when
+// working with encoding.
+type Field struct {
+	reference Reference
+}
+
+// AsField wraps a reference in a Field for encoding.
+func AsField(reference Reference) Field {
+	return Field{reference}
+}
+
+// Reference unwraps the reference type from the field to
+// return the Reference object. This object should be
+// of the appropriate type to further check for different
+// reference types.
+func (f Field) Reference() Reference {
+	return f.reference
+}
+
+// MarshalText serializes the field to byte text which
+// is the string of the reference.
+func (f Field) MarshalText() (p []byte, err error) {
+	return []byte(f.reference.String()), nil
+}
+
+// UnmarshalText parses text bytes by invoking the
+// reference parser to ensure the appropriately
+// typed reference object is wrapped by field.
+func (f *Field) UnmarshalText(p []byte) error {
+	r, err := Parse(string(p))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	f.reference = r
+	return nil
+}
+
 // Named is an object with a full name
 type Named interface {
 	Name() string
diff --git a/reference/reference_test.go b/reference/reference_test.go
index 42d5a34b1..3207f525b 100644
--- a/reference/reference_test.go
+++ b/reference/reference_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package reference
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
@@ -265,3 +266,132 @@ func TestSplitHostname(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+type serializationType struct {
+	Description string
+	Field       Field
+}
+
+func TestSerialization(t *testing.T) {
+	testcases := []struct {
+		description string
+		input       string
+		name        string
+		tag         string
+		digest      string
+		err         error
+	}{
+		{
+			description: "empty value",
+			err:         ErrNameEmpty,
+		},
+		{
+			description: "just a name",
+			input:       "example.com:8000/named",
+			name:        "example.com:8000/named",
+		},
+		{
+			description: "name with a tag",
+			input:       "example.com:8000/named:tagged",
+			name:        "example.com:8000/named",
+			tag:         "tagged",
+		},
+		{
+			description: "name with digest",
+			input:       "other.com/named@sha256:1234567890098765432112345667890098765",
+			name:        "other.com/named",
+			digest:      "sha256:1234567890098765432112345667890098765",
+		},
+	}
+	for _, testcase := range testcases {
+		failf := func(format string, v ...interface{}) {
+			t.Logf(strconv.Quote(testcase.input)+": "+format, v...)
+			t.Fail()
+		}
+
+		m := map[string]string{
+			"Description": testcase.description,
+			"Field":       testcase.input,
+		}
+		b, err := json.Marshal(m)
+		if err != nil {
+			failf("error marshalling: %v", err)
+		}
+		t := serializationType{}
+
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(b, &t); err != nil {
+			if testcase.err == nil {
+				failf("error unmarshalling: %v", err)
+			}
+			if err != testcase.err {
+				failf("wrong error, expected %v, got %v", testcase.err, err)
+			}
+
+			continue
+		} else if testcase.err != nil {
+			failf("expected error unmarshalling: %v", testcase.err)
+		}
+
+		if t.Description != testcase.description {
+			failf("wrong description, expected %q, got %q", testcase.description, t.Description)
+		}
+
+		ref := t.Field.Reference()
+
+		if named, ok := ref.(Named); ok {
+			if named.Name() != testcase.name {
+				failf("unexpected repository: got %q, expected %q", named.Name(), testcase.name)
+			}
+		} else if testcase.name != "" {
+			failf("expected named type, got %T", ref)
+		}
+
+		tagged, ok := ref.(Tagged)
+		if testcase.tag != "" {
+			if ok {
+				if tagged.Tag() != testcase.tag {
+					failf("unexpected tag: got %q, expected %q", tagged.Tag(), testcase.tag)
+				}
+			} else {
+				failf("expected tagged type, got %T", ref)
+			}
+		} else if ok {
+			failf("unexpected tagged type")
+		}
+
+		digested, ok := ref.(Digested)
+		if testcase.digest != "" {
+			if ok {
+				if digested.Digest().String() != testcase.digest {
+					failf("unexpected digest: got %q, expected %q", digested.Digest().String(), testcase.digest)
+				}
+			} else {
+				failf("expected digested type, got %T", ref)
+			}
+		} else if ok {
+			failf("unexpected digested type")
+		}
+
+		t = serializationType{
+			Description: testcase.description,
+			Field:       AsField(ref),
+		}
+
+		b2, err := json.Marshal(t)
+		if err != nil {
+			failf("error marshing serialization type: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		if string(b) != string(b2) {
+			failf("unexpected serialized value: expected %q, got %q", string(b), string(b2))
+		}
+
+		// Ensure t.Field is not implementing "Reference" directly, getting
+		// around the Reference type system
+		var fieldInterface interface{} = t.Field
+		if _, ok := fieldInterface.(Reference); ok {
+			failf("field should not implement Reference interface")
+		}
+
+	}
+}