This a beautiful large colour woodblock etching by Elyse Ashe-Lord (1900-1971) depicting a bird resting on a branch in foliage.
The etching is signed and inscribed in pencil by the artist, as photographed.
It comes from a series of delicate drypoint etchings of Chinese birds which were all made by Ashe-Lord in the 30s. She specialised in these delicate drypoint etchings, all delineated with a very fine line.
The artist developed her unique style exclusively around oriental subject matter, and her art was inspired by both Chinese art and various aspects of oriental culture.
Although Lord never actually travelled to China, she used Chinese paintings, embroideries and wall hangings, together with objects from surrounding Eastern countries, as the inspiration for her exotic images.
She used a very individual technique with all her prints. She would draw the outline in drypoint etching which would from a "key block". The colours would then be added by using multiple wood blocks coated in vivid coloured inks. It was a difficult process to master and Elyse Lord would always supervise this difficult process of printing her plates and blocks, in person.
Elyse Ashe-Lord exhibited from 1915 through to 1939 with the celebrated Lefevre Gallery in London, and had her work published under the auspices of the great London dealer, Alexander Reid.
Although the artist never actually travelled to China, she used Chinese paintings, embroideries and wall hangings, together with objects from surrounding Eastern countries, as the sources for her images. The highly individual style which Elyse Lord created reflects both this source material and the influences of Art Deco and early 1920’s fashion.
The etching is in lovely condition, and printed on a very fine Oriental paper much favoured by Lord. It is in excellent condition and all the applied colours are still nice and fresh.
It is number 45 out of an edition of only 75 prints, and although not dated by the artist, must date to around 1935.
The print is being sold unframed - but with a nice mount ready to for you to select a frame of your choice. It would certainly look very attractive on display in a house with lots of chinoserie textiles or ceramics. If you would like it framed with our professional framers - please ask about this service.