† A PAIR OF WHITE JADE ‘CICADA’ FUNERARY TONGUE AMULETS, WESTERN HAN DYNASTY
Lot 163 - HS1225

Scientific Analysis Report: A material composition and surface analysis report issued by ORENDA Laboratory (Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA) on 12 April 2014, under report number #2041214JFC, identified the material as tremolite nephrite jade exhibiting natural depositional alteration, decomposition wear, and surface diffusion processes consistent with long-term burial and exposure to soil minerals. The analysis concludes that there is ample evidence supporting the authenticity of the pair as Western Han dynasty jades, consistent with the dating above and provides a replacement value of USD 25,000 or approx. EUR 30,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). A copy of the report accompanies this lot.

206 BC-AD 8. Each finely carved in the form of a cicada, the upper side with crisp grooves delineating the head, pronounced eyes, and folded wings, while the underside is incised with fine lines to depict the ribbed abdomen. The semi-translucent stone is of a white tone with areas of creamy calcification. (2)

Provenance: Throckmorton Fine Art, LLC, New York, United States. The Collection of Jared Fitzgerald, acquired in 2017.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, signs of prolonged burial and traces of weathering, as well as few microscopic nicks. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks.

Weight: 94 g (total)
Dimensions: Length 7.6 cm (each)

With a storage box. (3)

Cicadas (tsan) such as the present example were integral components of elite burial assemblages during the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). Placed upon the tongue of the deceased, they formed part of a larger set of jade coverings and plugs designed to seal the body’s orifices and preserve the vital essence (qi). The use of jade in mortuary contexts reflects a long-standing belief in the stone’s incorruptibility and power to confer immortality, a tradition traceable to Neolithic and Zhou prototypes that culminated in the fully articulated jade burial suits of the Western Han aristocracy. The cicada, with its distinctive life cycle of subterranean dormancy followed by emergence and transformation, embodied the symbolism of rebirth and transcendence central to Han funerary ideology. By placing the cicada in the mouth, mourners sought to ensure the deceased’s spiritual renewal and transformation into a perfected, jade-like state.

Museum comparison:
Compare a related but smaller jade cicada, dated to the Han dynasty, 5.4 cm (high), in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 30.120.135.

Auction comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4 December 2024, lot 9453
Price: HKD 96,000 or approx. EUR 11,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A white jade cicada, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, carving manner, color of the stone and size (7.7 cm). Note that the lot only comprises one cicada.

Auction comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 2721
Price: HKD 118,750 or approx. EUR 15,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A jade cicada, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220)
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and carving manner. Note the size (7 cm) and that the lot only comprises one cicada.