Đông Hồ woodblock print “Yin-Yang Pig Family” – The sow and her yin-yang piglets

A pink sow and her piglets marked with spirals: Đông Hồ's most beloved image of abundance.

History and symbolism

The spirals adorning the pigs' bodies evoke yin and yang, the principle of balance and fertility. Surrounded by her litter, the sow embodies the prosperity of a farming household, where the pig was both savings and wealth. The image offered families a wish for abundance, harmony, and many offspring in the new year.

Craftsmanship

Hand-printed by Nguyễn Hữu Đạo, a Đông Hồ artisan born in 1990, representing 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

Its rounded forms and soft colors make it a beautiful accent for a kitchen, dining room, or child's bedroom. A housewarming or newborn gift.

Đông Hồ prints in brief

A Vietnamese heritage nearly five centuries old, Đông Hồ folk prints originated in the village of the same name in Thuận Thành (Bắc Ninh Province). Every 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 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