Born in an unlucky month and handed to relatives. Empress of the Sui at thirty-seven.
Painted by Xiang Li in watercolour and crushed gemstone pigment on silk, from The Chinese Empresses — a twelve-year series of 217 portraits. Reproduced as a giclée print on archival 360 gsm poly-cotton canvas, hand-stretched over solid wood with a mirrored wrap, so the whole painting stays on the front face.
