Đông Hồ woodblock print “Thầy Đồ Cóc” – The Toad Scholar | Artisan Nguyễn Hữu Đạo

A classroom full of toads and frogs: Vietnamese humor at its best.

History and symbolism

The characters 老蛙講讀 ("Lão Oa giảng độc", "The Old Toad Teaches Reading") depict the scene nicknamed "Thầy đồ Cóc". Seated under a pine tree, the master sits enthroned behind his scholar's table. Around him, the students recite, serve tea, or discipline a classmate, under the watchful eye of a class monitor marked 長. The image celebrates the love of learning and respect for the master, with a touch of satire about the school of yesteryear.

Craftsmanship

Everything is handmade by Nguyễn Hữu Đạo, a fifteenth-generation Đông Hồ printmaker: dó paper coated with shell powder (điệp), natural pigments, and a block engraved for each color. Since 2025, this craftsmanship has been inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Artisan's seal. Hand-printed: slight variations from one copy to another.

Decoration & gift idea

Perfect for an office, library, or child's bedroom, and a mischievous gift for a teacher or student.

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 there is entirely handmade, 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 Tết, 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.

Specifications

• Size: 27 × 36 cm
• Orientation: Landscape (horizontal)
• 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 visible in the lifestyle photos is shown for illustrative purposes only
• Origin: Đông Hồ village, Thuận Thành, Bắc Ninh province, Vietnam