Art and Technology in a Chinese Gold Cicada Plaque

In 2002, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acquired an exquisite gold plaque with an image of a cicada at its center (MMA 2002.255) (Fig. 1). The plaque is said to be from China and is stylistically similar to several plaques excavated throughout the country, but little or nothing is known of its provenance. Works like this one often bridge gaps in the archaeological record but can be frustratingly difficult to understand without knowledge of their origins. How then should we treat these objects? Should we disregard them? Omit them from our scholarship? In this paper, we, the authors—an art historian and an objects conservator— will describe how we have approached this particular object. In the case of this Chinese cicada plaque—one of more than thirty in collections across the globe (Table 1)—we are fortunate to have enough supporting archaeological and documentary evidence to allow us to posit an approximate date and possibly even a geographical source. Although we will never know the precise findspot of the plaque or to whom it belonged, modern conservation science has enabled us to learn more than ever before. Using analytical laboratory techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, we can discover its physical composition and provide an expanded view of its artistic construction. These findings, in turn, enrich and inform our understanding of the larger body of cicada plaques in collections in China, Japan, Europe, and the United States. First, we will provide an overview of the cicada plaques whose findspots are known. Next, we will investigate the Metropolitan plaque’s materials and methods of manufacture. Finally, we will explore the form and iconography of the cicada in order to better understand its function in the context of medieval Chinese society and funerary customs. We hope this first in-depth study of the cicada plaques will encourage the reexamination and scientific analysis of plaques at other institutions in the future.