Two cicadas in bronze facing each other on a bamboo segmentOne is an adult while the other is at the nymph phase. Three foundry stamps, one underneath and one alongside each insect.Cicadas have a very prominent role in Japanese folklore, it symbolizes the arrival of hot summer days. Its song became an emblematic sound marker of hot weather. By its sole presence cicadas emphasize not only the heat of the day but also the briefness of nature, representing an intense but ephemera life cycle. In Japan, there is approximately thirty species among the two thousand known to scientist worldwide. Each of these subspecies has a unique chant that amateurs try to recognize. The most famous species is the Tanna japonensis (茅蜩), endemic of the Nippon Islands. In poems, art and philosophy, cicadas became a symbol of the fleeting beauty of nature. Its fascinating life cycle enables it to spend most of its life underground, at the form of larva before it emerges as an adult to live only a short period of time, a few weeks at best. This interesting contrast between a long subterranean life and the short adult life on the surface made the cicada a symbol of the fragile beauty of a transitional existence. It also inspired music and theatre, where its chant is often used to establish a summer atmosphere, transporting spectators in the vibrating warmth of this season.

Japan –Meiji era (1868-1912)Height: 3 cm –width: 3,5 cm –length: 6,5 cm