A TINY, HIGHLY POLISHED LATE SHANG CICADA WITH BULGING EYES CARVED IN LIGHT GREEN JADE
A TINY, HIGHLY POLISHED LATE SHANG CICADA WITH BULGING EYES CARVED IN LIGHT GREEN JADE
Jade
China, Late Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC), 13th to 11th century BC
This tiny cicada presents an interesting combination of three-dimensional facial features and incised lines that define the details of the body. The head is carved with two bulging eyes, a central hole, where the rest of the face would be, and another hole drilled obliquely on the underside of the head. Two parallel grooves separate the head from the body, which is decorated with a curved groove on each side, indicating the curve of the wings, followed by another five incised lines that describe the tail area.
Dimensions: LENGTH 4.5 CM, WIDTH 1.5 CM
Condition: The highly polished cicada is rounded on top and flat on the bottom. The lovely translucent light green jade is dotted with a few black spots within and along some of the carved lines, indicating the presence of iron. Only the face has turned opaque and amber/brown in color, due to other inclusions in the stone.
Provenance: From an old Austrian collection