1-234-772 - The Museum of East Asian Art/Heritage Images

Stylised 3-cut jade cicada, Eastern Han dynasty, China, 25-220. A jade cicada in extremely stylised three-cut form made for burial, the whole consisting of four undecorated planes. The cicada, a common insect in China, is a symbol of longevity as it can live up to 17 years! In some Chinese burials, a jade cicada was placed in the mouth of the deceased.