Cicada
Artist
Maker unknown
(Japanese)
Datec. 1900
MediumCarved ivory, shell, gold, lacquer
DimensionsOverall: 1 × 1 1/2 × 1in. (2.5 × 3.8 × 2.5cm)
ClassificationsART
Credit LineProctor Collection
Object numberPC. 849
DescriptionIvory and shell miniature carved cicada with movable jointed legs; gold on top; with lacquer box.On View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextSymbols of immortality and rebirth, Cicadas have a played a role in Chinese and Japanese art, culture and medicine. In ancient China it was believed that the cicada revived after the death of winter, that it was buried with the dead and was an emblem of longevity. Jade cicadas as emblems of resurrection were laid on the tongue of the dead during the Shang (1550-1050 BCE) and during the Chou-period (1050-250 BCE). Since the cicada emerges from the ground to sing every summer, in Japan it is also seen as a symbol of reincarnation. This figure features an anatomically realistic portrayal of a cicada, complete with details of its underside. A figure in the form of a cicada may have been made with the purpose to be worn or carried on the eve of or during the Festival of the Dead, to guarantee a long life.
