This print is made on recycled paper using a woodblock and inks, which are coloured with natural materials such as red, made from the mineral cinnabar and black, made from burnt bamboo leaf. The inks are mixed with crushed oyster shells to give thickness and a shiny finish. Sometimes a wash of oyster shell is painted on to the paper first to create a pale ground against which the colours are overlaid. Woodblock printing is thought to have been introduced from China as early as the Ly dynasty (1010-1225). This colourful image, which belongs to a set of 12, was produced using a combination of woodblock printing for the outlines, and filled in with Chinese inks.The Hang Trong style is known after the street named Hang Trong, where resident printmakers were part of a lively industry up until the 1940’s. These prints were made by Mr. Le Ding Nghien, who has continued his family’s tradition of printmaking in this style. Vietnamese woodblock prints include a wide repertoire of images and stories, including depictions of auspicious festive activities, protective door guardians, episodes from popular legends and many more. They also include legendary folk heroes who fought the Chinese and later became deified, Buddhist and Taoist deities, popular stories associated with feritlity, relationships and satirical forms of social commentary.
