$1,000–$8,000. Fish prints are among the most collected subjects for this artist. Good figure/landscape prints: $2,500–$5,000. Key value factors: Bertha Lum's status as a pioneering Western woodblock printmaker gives her work historical value. Her Art Nouveau-influenced prints are particularly sought after.
"Magic Carpet" is a [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) print by Bertha Lum, created during the Meiji to Showa periods. This work showcases the artist's skill in depicting marine life with both scientific accuracy and artistic beauty.
Bertha Lum brings characteristic attention to the natural form, capturing the fish's coloring, scale patterns, and posture with meticulous detail. The composition balances naturalistic observation with the decorative possibilities of the woodblock medium, resulting in an image that is both a study of nature and a work of art.
This print represents Bertha Lum's contribution to the shin-hanga tradition during the Meiji to Showa periods. As with all works by this artist, it reflects both individual artistic vision and the broader cultural moment in which it was created. For collectors and admirers of Japanese printmaking, it offers a window into the sophisticated aesthetic world that produced some of the most beloved images in art history.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Magic Carpet was created by Bertha Lum in 1912.
Magic Carpet depicts figures, mythology, and animals.
Magic Carpet measures 35.6 × 27 cm.
