Đông Hồ woodblock print “Phú Quý” – Child with a Duck (Wealth) | Artisan Nguyễn Hữu Đạo

The other half of a famous duo: the child with the duck, a symbol of abundance and a comfortable life.

History and symbolism

The characters 富貴 (« Phú quý ») mean wealth and honors. The chubby child, with a shaved head in the old-fashioned style, embraces a duck among lotus flowers. Paired with « Vinh Hoa », the child with the rooster, the image expresses the wish for happy offspring and a prosperous household; the duo was one of the great classics of Tet stalls.

Craftsmanship

It comes from the workshop of Nguyễn Hữu Đạo, son and grandson of distinguished Đông Hồ artisans. The natural colors are pressed one by one with engraved wooden blocks, on dó paper coated with crushed shells (điệp), the black outline last. Red seal of the artisan. Hand-printed: slight variations from one copy to another.

Decoration & gift idea

Soft and colorful, it brightens up a child's room or an entrance. To give for a birth or a housewarming, alone or in a pair with « Vinh Hoa ».

Đông Hồ print in brief

A Vietnamese heritage nearly five centuries old, the Đông Hồ popular 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 the 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 Tet, 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
• Origin: Đông Hồ village, Thuận Thành, Bắc Ninh province, Vietnam