Name/Title
Ðông Hồ Portfolio Tam Dương Khai Thái (The Three Suns Bring Prosperity)Entry/Object ID
2019.P-G.078MDescription
Traditional Vietnamese folk woodblock print on plant fibrous paper horizontally depicting two roosters with stylized feathers mirroring each other in profile, both standing on their left leg with the other raised, and a small flower is between them. Above the two roosters are Chinese characters.Context
Also titled Tam Dương Khai Thái (Harmonious Life).
In many folk festivals in Vietnam, cockfighting is not only a form of entertainment but also represents the nurturing of a warrior spirit and the binding force of community spirit, which existed for a long time in ancient village festivals. When this painting is given as a gift, it is often accompanied by wishes for health, diligence, and perseverance.
The characters "Tam Dương Khai Thái" which translates to "Opening up the Three Yangs" is a phrase that is often found in traditional Đông Hồ paintings and other Vietnamese cultural contexts, particularly during the Lunar New Year (Tết). The phrase is associated with good fortune and auspicious wishes.
Tam Dương (三陽): "Three Yangs" - Represents the three positive energies of Heaven, Earth, and Human.
Khai Thái (開泰): "Opening up" or "Inaugurating" - Indicates the start of a new phase or development.
From insert in boxset about series, directly transcribed:
A Brief Overview of "Ðông Hồ" Folk Paintings:
The "Dong Ho" folk paintings have been around for nearly 500 years. The themes of these paintings were inspired by everyday life and created by artisans' observations and experiences.
The main themes include:
Congratulatory paintings, which reflect the common wishes of people: a happy family, longevity, wealth, and prosperity, as seen in paintings such as Phú Quý (Wealth and Nobility), Vinh Hoa (Glory), Gà Đàn (Hen and Chicks), Lợn Đàn (Pigs).
Paintings depicting festivals and traditional activities, such as wrestling contests, drum carrying, buffalo fighting, as well as daily life scenes like đánh ghen (a fight between women over a man), hứng dừa (picking coconuts), thầy đồ cóc (the frog teacher), đám cưới chuột (a mouse wedding), and folklore stories such as Trê Cóc Kiện Nhau (Catfish and Frog Suing Each Other), Đinh Bộ Lĩnh (founding emperor of the short-lived Đinh dynasty), and Bà Triệu (legendary Vietnamese heroine).
Over many generations, artisans creatively used available local materials to craft these artworks.
Initially, the images were carved onto wood, usually wood from the thị tree, thừng mực wood, or vàng tâm wood. These carvings were then printed onto dó paper, which had been coated with a special resin. Dó paper is handmade from the bark of the dó tree, while the resin is made from the shells of dead mollusks, cleaned, crushed, and mixed with rice paste. The mixture was applied to the paper with a brush made from dry pine leaves, creating the texture that gives the painting life.
The artisans used only a few natural materials to create the colors: red from clay, green from tràm leaves or copper rust, white from diệp powder, yellow from the hoè tree flowers, and black from ash made from bamboo leaves or rice straw.
The patterns were carefully printed and harmoniously arranged, creating a unique identity. In the rich collection of Vietnamese folk art, the "Dong Ho" paintings stand out as a distinct form of expression, originating from the village of Song Ho in Thuận Thành district, Bắc Ninh province.Collection
Palmeri-Goodstein Research Print CollectionMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Tranh Dan GianRole
ArtistLexicon
Search Terms
Longevity, Life, Abundance, Wealth, Luck, Chicken, Texture, FeathersDimensions
Height
10-1/4 inWidth
14-7/8 in