This is a handcarved and handprinted linocut, inspired by the Chinese folktale of the Jade Rabbit & the Lady on the Moon along with a variety of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs in their flowering form: Dong Quai, Astralagus, Ginger, Poppy & Licorice.

CREATION PROCESS: A block of artist's linoleum is hand carved into a design which takes between 20-30 hours. It is then covered with a layer of ink. Paper is then pressed on top to create an imprint. This printing process takes about 10-15 minutes for each print. The prints take 3 days to dry.

MATERIALS:

It is printed with Caligo Safewash (non-toxic) Relief Ink on Hosho Paper, both of which are archival quality. Awagami Select Hosho paper is a handmade paper from Japan, a cultural treasure and time-honored heritage that has been handcrafted from natural materials for over a thousand years with a strict attention to quality and preservation. Hosho is made from the branches of the kozo, gampi and mitsumata, preserving the bush/tree. It is acid-free and archival quality and has a rustic natural handmade feel with deckled edge.

COLOR:

It is printed in Prussian Blue.

CUSTOM COLORS: Please message me directly with a proposed color and we can go from there! It will take 3-5 days

SIZE:

Print Size: 10” x 16”

Paper size: 11" x 18"

STORY INSPIRATION:

The Jade Emperor came down from the heavens disguised as a hungry beggar in search of a worthy being to serve as the Guardian of the Elixir of Immortality on the moon. In his disguise he could not find a single human who would offer him food, but three wild animals came to his assistance: the monkey, the fox, and the rabbit. The monkey returned laden with fruits, the fox returned with some fish, but the rabbit could not find any food so he sacrificed himself into the fire in an ultimate act of selflessness. At that instant the Jade Emperor knew the rabbit was the one he was looking for and he caught the rabbit, revealed himself as the Jade Emperor and rewarded the rabbit with the honorable role of Guardian of the Elixir of Immortality.

The Lady on the Moon was originally the wife of an archer who was rewarded the elixir of immortality by the Jade Emperor for his heroic archery skills, but the archer decided to not drink it so he could remain with his beloved wife in the mortal world. In her husband's absence, however, she drank the elixir herself. When her husband found out, he was enraged but also heartbroken because as a consequence, she then became immortal, living for eternity on the moon separate from him. To this day she sits with the Jade Rabbit on the moon, and they both are the Guardians of the Elixir of Immortality.

This folktale shows us that with great power comes great loss, and although we might aspire to become immortal, we must also recognize immortality involves great sacrifice, the least of which is loss of relationship.

GIFT IDEAS: This would make a wonderful gift for someone who loves the story of the Jade Rabbit and Moon Goddess, or someone who appreciates Asian folklore and traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. It would be perfect for an aficionado of herbal medicines and folklore, and someone who appreciates all things handmade.

PACKAGING: This print will be carefully rolled in Kraft paper, packed in a recycled clear bag and shipped in a recycled cylindrical tube. FeathersandFolktales uses eco-friendly packaging. A one-page description of the folktale and materials used is included with the print.

Feathers & Folktales is a woman-owned, Massachusetts-based art shop offering handcrafted linocut prints of timeless folktales from around the world that remind us of our ancient kinship with the wild. These archival quality linocut prints are a labor of love: they are 100% conceived, designed, carved, inked, pulled and packaged by hand for you from a small home studio. Featuring animals and magical creatures from folklore alongside wide variety of botanical elements, each piece contains a precious offering from the past, a mythos, that can enliven our sense of enchantment with the natural world.

Please note that the copyright of this work is retained by the artist.