Lum, Bertha (1869 - 1954), "Ming Huang and Yang Kuei Fei"

Notes: Toned on reverse and areas of rubbing in the margins. An impressive over-sized original raised line print; nearly double the size of the regular woodcut version. Signed in pencil by artist. Only a handful of examples were produced due to the time to create such a technical work in the artist's "raised-line" technique. An estimated edition of at least 17 produced of the regular size woodcut, with far fewer completed raised line examples.

In the 1920's, Bertha Lum worked with a new type of print-making style, now referred to as, raised line printing. Lum would mold wet paper over a carved wooden block and hand-paint the embossed paper using the raised lines to define the areas of colors. Her raised line prints often had significant variations in colors and are very seldom found for sale.

For a little while she lived in Japan, before settling in Peking in 1922, near the Forbidden City. She lived in a house that had formerly belonged to the Prince Tzu, son of the Emperor Tao Kuang.