Đông Hồ woodblock print “Vinh Hoa” – The Child and the Rooster (Glory) | Artisan Nguyễn Hữu Đạo

A chubby toddler holds a rooster close, beneath a lotus flower: a wish for glory for the whole family.

History and symbolism

The characters 榮花 ("Vinh hoa") express honor and brilliance. The image traditionally forms a pair with "Phú Quý," the child with a duck: together, they wish households healthy children, success, and prosperity. They were hung side by side for Têt, the Lunar New Year.

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 Bắc Ninh Province in 2024. A wooden block engraved for each color, natural pigments, dó paper coated with iridescent shell powder (điệp), and the artisan's red seal. Hand-printed: slight variations from one print to another.

Decoration & gift idea

Tender and luminous, it finds its place in a child's bedroom or a living room. A meaningful newborn gift, even more beautiful when paired with "Phú Quý".

Đông Hồ prints 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 is made entirely by hand, from the drawing and block engraving 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 craft, which is still perpetuated by only a few families, on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Specifications

• Size: 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 artisan Nguyễn Hữu Đạo
• Sold unframed – the framing shown in the lifestyle photos is for illustrative purposes only
• Origin: Đông Hồ village, Thuận Thành, Bắc Ninh Province, Vietnam