Đông Hồ woodcut print “Mục Đồng Thổi Sáo” – The Little Shepherd Boy Playing the Flute

A child plays the flute, sitting on his buffalo, a lotus leaf serving as an umbrella: the peace of the countryside in a single image.

History and symbolism

The inscription 荷葉蓋青青 (« Hà diệp cái thanh thanh ») translates as "the lotus leaf umbrella, so green". The little buffalo herder (mục đồng) and his buffalo, his plowing companion, are beloved figures in rural Vietnam. The image speaks of serenity, happy simplicity, and harmony between man and nature.

Craftsmanship

Hand-printed by Nguyễn Hữu Đạo, an artisan from Đông Hồ who hid in 1990, the fifteenth generation of a family of printmakers, recognized as a master artisan by the Bắc Ninh province in 2024. A wooden block engraved by color, natural pigments, dó paper coated with shell powder (điệp) with a pearlescent grain, and the artisan's red seal. Hand-printed: slight variations from one copy to another.

Decoration & gift idea

Soothing, it is suitable for a living room, bedroom, or reading nook. A poetic gift for lovers of nature and music.

Đông Hồ print in brief

A Vietnamese heritage nearly five centuries old, the Đông Hồ folk print was born in the village of the same name, in Thuận Thành (Bắc Ninh province). Each image there is entirely handmade, from the drawing and engraving of the blocks to the printing, and its themes – wishes for happiness, scenes of daily life, history, and worship – have made it the traditional image of Têt, the Lunar New Year. In December 2025, UNESCO inscribed this craftsmanship, which is still perpetuated by only a few families, on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Characteristics

• Format: 27 × 36 cm
• Orientation: Portrait (vertical)
• Technique: woodblock print (wood engraving), hand-printed
• Support: dó paper coated with shell powder (điệp)
• Natural pigments
• Signed with the seal of the artisan Nguyễn Hữu Đạo
• Sold without frame – the framing visible in the lifestyle photos is shown for illustrative purposes only
• Origin: Đông Hồ village, Thuận Thành, Bắc Ninh province, Vietnam