A white and russet jade 'cicada' snuff bottle18th centuryExpertly hollowed as a cicada with carapace and folded wings crisply incised, the underside with two pomegranates borne on gnarled branches, the abdomen carved with notched ridges, the stone of pale white tone with caramel-brown patches. 6.6cm (2 5/8in) long. 注脚十八世紀 白玉帶皮蟬形鼻煙壺Provenence: an English private collection, and thence by descent來源：英國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今 The cicada has many auspicious meanings. Traditionally they were considered pure because they were thought to subsist on dew and lofty because of their perch in high treetops. Cicadas were also symbols of resurrection due to its fascinating life cycle. Newly hatched insects drop from branches to burrow into the ground, where they nourish themselves on tree roots for as long as seventeen years before emerging into the sunlight. Then, they climb high into the trees, and their outer skin splits open to allow the full-grown insects to appear. This process was seen as an analogy for the spirits of the dead rising on a path to eternal existence in a transcendent realm.