Đông Hồ woodblock print “Tố Nữ” – The Four Musicians | Artisan Nguyễn Hữu Đạo

Four young women in long tunics, each with her instrument: the elegance of old Vietnam.

History and symbolism

The title 素女 ("Tố nữ") refers to the graceful young women of popular painting. Traditionally printed on four sheets, they are here brought together on a single print. One plays the flute (吹笛), another the moon-shaped lute (鼓琴), the third holds a fan, and the fourth, clappers. Their image, often associated with ca trù singers, celebrates beauty, music, and the joy of spring.

Craftsmanship

Hand-printed by Nguyễn Hữu Đạo, an artisan from Đông Hồ who fled in 1990 and represents the fifteenth generation of a family of printmakers, recognized as a master artisan by the 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 copy to another.

Decoration & gift idea

Refined and horizontal, it can be hung above a console table, bed, or piano. A delicate gift for a music lover.

Đông Hồ prints in brief

A Vietnamese heritage nearly five centuries old, Đông Hồ popular prints originated in the village of the same name in Thuận Thành (Bắc Ninh province). Every image there is made entirely by hand, from the drawing and block carving 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 added this craft, which is still perpetuated by only a few families, to 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 shown in the lifestyle photos is for illustrative purposes only
• Origin: Đông Hồ village, Thuận Thành, Bắc Ninh province, Vietnam