"Cigale" Table Napkin

In 1895 a wealthy tile manufacturer asked a ceramicist to make a typical Provençal artefact to be given as a gift to his business clients.  The ceramicist created a paperweight, a cigale (cicada) sitting on an olive branch; it was a huge success and was adapted for brooches, vases and cups.  Today cigales feature prominently on Provencal fabrics and pottery - cigales in all shapes and forms are hung on the façades of houses hoping to attract luck and happiness.