Description: Jade. China, Han Dynasty, 2nd - 1st century BC 玉蟬 -漢代,公元前2世紀-前1世紀
This beautiful Han cicada in light green jade is masterfully carved as seen from above. It is basically oval in shape, with carved protrusions that suggest the head and eyes, and pointed indentations for the tips of the body and the wings. Just a few simple incisions indicate its features: carved lines define the shape of the pointed wings and adorn the area near the head, highlighting the bulging eyes. The light green jade is almost yellowish, with some veins of darker green, and diffused areas and spots of black and brown.
There is a small nick along the edge near the head.
A virtually identical example carved from the same type of jade and of the same size was discovered in 1978 in the Han tomb at Bao’an shan, Mangshan town, Yongcheng county, Henan province: it is published in Yang Boda (ed.), Zhongguo yuqi quanji: 3, Chunqiu Zhanguo 中国玉器全集/4/秦,漢,南北朝 (Chinese Jades: 4, Qin, Han and Northern and Southern Dynasties), Hebei 1993, no.174. For additional examples of Han period jade cicadas and a discussion of their role in the funerary practices of the time, see also F. Salviati, 4000 Years of Chinese Archaic Jades, Edition Zacke, Vienna 2017, nos.329-331.
Provenance: From an old Austrian collection
LENGTH 6.5 CM - WIDTH 3.2CM 長6.5 厘米 -寬 3.2 厘米
Expertise: Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati
All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and dated by Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati. Professor Salviati teaches Chinese and Korean art at Sapienza University in Rome, in the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies. He is a world expert on archaic Chinese jades, having released multiple publications and being cited by renowned auction houses such as Sotheby’s.