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Banri Auction
93 - An archaic jade cicada A jade cicada of archaic form. The cicada, which emerges above ground only after undergoing metamorphosis, came to symbolise rebirth and immortality in ancient China. During the Han dynasty, jade cicadas were placed in the mouth of the deceased as hanchan ("mouth cicadas") — a funerary practice rooted in the belief that jade could preserve the body and ease the passage to the afterlife. L: 5cm W: 2.7cm Wooden box China Han Dynasty
An archaic jade cicada A jade cicada of archaic form. The cicada, which emerges above ground only after undergoing metamorphosis, came to symbolise rebirth and immortality in ancient China. During the Han dynasty, jade cicadas were placed in the mouth of the deceased as hanchan ("mouth cicadas") — a funerary practice rooted in the belief that jade could preserve the body and ease the passage to the afterlife. L: 5cm W: 2.7cm Wooden box China Han Dynasty