Name/Title
Ðông Hồ Portfolio Chăn Trâu Thả Diều (The Boy Herding Buffalo and Flying a Kite)Entry/Object ID
2019.P-G.078EDescription
Traditional Vietnamese folk woodblock print on plant fibrous paper vertically depicts a male figure reclined holding a kite while riding on a buffalo.Context
This painting depicts the rural life in Vietnam, showcasing the peaceful, simple pleasures of the countryside. It may also allude to the balance between duty (working with the buffalo) and leisure (flying the kite).
In the past many farmers had difficulty reading or relating to art, to appeal to these farmers Dong Ho artists created simple and relatable images to help farmers easily understand the meaning and connect with the artwork.
*Although not found on the version of our print, traditionally this the painting would have the phrase "Nhất tướng phúc lộc điền", which means "The best general brings fortune and prosperity to the field." This is a metaphor associated with the belief that capable leaders can lead to the flourishing of not just the people but also the land or economy.
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 Dong 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, Cow, Bovine, Steer, Lazy, RelaxedDimensions
Height
14-3/4 inWidth
10-1/4 in