According to the "Chronicle of Qu Yuan Jia Shenglie", "The cicadas degenerate from the filth and float outside the dust." ”
Cicadas, which have always been symbolized as noble and pure, have a very high status in the hearts of the ancients. More than 60 years ago, in a Ming Dynasty tomb near Wufeng Mountain, a "cicada" appeared!
A tomb of 1 man and 4 women was found, in which a special antiquity was found
In 1954, at the head of the owner of Tomb No. 14 of the Ming Hongzhi Jinshi Zhang Anwan Family Cemetery in Wufeng Mountain, Suzhou, archaeologists were surprised to find a noble woman's hairpin.
In the spring of 1954, the local military district stationed in the area needed to build a large tank training ground because of military training problems.
After some inspection, the military region decided to build a new training ground at the foot of Wufeng Mountain. After identifying the specific construction area, the workers began construction work.
Just a few days after construction, the workers unexpectedly found traces of a tomb.
Hearing the news of the discovery of the ancient tomb group, archaeologists immediately rushed to the tomb group and carried out a protective rescue excavation of the tomb group.
Originally, the owner of the tomb was a jinshi of the Ming Emperor Xiaozong Zhu Youfan, named Zhang Anwan. In addition to Zhang Anwan, there are also his wives and three concubines in the tomb.
While searching for antiquities, archaeologists found a special artifact in the tomb of his concubine - a golden cicada!
The golden cicada is a good wish, worth 900 million
It is not surprising that the ancients used the golden cicada as a funerary object. This is because the cicada, also known as Zhi, has larvae that live in the soil and will break through the soil when it reaches adulthood, which makes the ancients mistakenly think that it is reborn.
Therefore, the ancients hoped that after death, people could be reborn like cicadas. As a result, cicadas are often made into meditative vessels as a blessing to the living to their dead loved ones.
And this unearthed golden cicada was carved to the point of no return. Whether it is the two glowing eyes, the cicada wings that are only 0.2 mm thick, or the greedy mouth, they are very realistic.
If it is not a color difference, it is likely that you will not be able to distinguish between true and false. The craftsmen have adopted die-casting models, thin leaf extensions, engraving and welding in a square inch with a length of 2.4 cm and a width of 0.8 cm, which makes this antiquity so amazing.
In addition, the foothold of the golden cicada is still a white leaf, the jade leaf is made of Xinjiang Hetian mutton fat white jade, the leaf is polished and thin after a concave arc, a total of eight petals.
Overall, this is just an accessory, but if taken out individually, it's not inferior. The jade smith used a variety of methods such as yang, yin and convex to create the main branch of the jade leaf, so that it has a strong sense of layering.
Even the edges and corners of the jade leaves have been polished to a lustrous and attractive luster.
At the time of excavation, there was also a silver flower holder, which was right in the middle of the leaf and the golden cicada, and was used as a hairpin.
Subsequently, this golden cicada was collected by the Nanjing Museum in Jiangsu Province, and even became one of the treasures of the museum. Some treasure experts have valued this golden cicada, believing that this Golden Cicada of the Ming Dynasty is worth 900 million!
Golden jade leaf, golden branch jade leaf
In addition, there is another meaning in terms of this antiquity. Because the pronunciation of "zhi" and "branch" is similar, "golden cicada jade leaf" also has the meaning of "golden branch jade leaf".
Some people even believe that the "golden branch jade leaf" should actually be "golden knowledge jade leaf", but because the sound is close, it was accidentally misinformed when it was passed down.
According to Cui Bao's record in the "Ancient and Modern Notes on Public Opinion": "Fighting with Xuan You in the wilderness of Zhuolu, there are often five-colored clouds and golden branches and jade leaves that stop at the emperor. "
In ancient times, "golden branches and jade leaves" referred to the only descendants of the royal family, and later it was also used as a metaphor for those who were born noble or delicate and weak.
This also shows that the owner of this golden cicada, that is, the little concubine, must have been very favored by Zhang Anwan before he died. Unfortunately, concubines could not be on the table in ancient times.
Therefore, Zhang Anwan must be very much in love, and will not hesitate to create such a beautiful piece of jewelry for her at great expense, and at the same time, this also expresses his good wishes, hoping that his concubines can become a real lady in the next life.
Moreover, this exquisite funerary product is also a symbol of the noble status of the owner of the tomb.
brief summary
What excites experts is that in addition to the value of the antiquities themselves, it also breaks people's long-standing views on Ming Dynasty jade.
It is generally believed that the jade production of the Ming Dynasty is far less exquisite in craftsmanship than that of the Tang and Song dynasties, and is also known as "Rough Daming". But the discovery of this cultural relic tells us that the Craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty are also top-notch and can also make exquisite products.
The reason why most of the jade workmanship is not meticulous may be that the aesthetic at that time was rough and bold.
References: "Ancient and Modern Notes, Public Opinion", "History of Qu Yuan Jia Sheng Lie"
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