Cicada amulet
Date12th century - 10th century BCE
Maker
Chinese
Label TextJade cicadas were placed in the mouths of the dead as tongue amulets. This one has round eyes, a tiny beak-shaped mouth, and folded wings with abstract, grooved designs. Cicadas spend years underground before emerging—their unusual life cycle was a metaphor for resurrection and long symbolized a wish for rebirth or immortality. One thousand years after this piece was made, cicada amulets became part of a set of jade plugs for the ears, nostrils, and other orifices in sumptuous Han-dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) burials.
Object number39.18
Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection
Dimensions2 x 1 1/16 x 1/4 in. (5.08 x 2.7 x 0.64 cm)
MediumNephrite
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