Traditional New Year picture - Jealousy (Vietnamese: Đánh ghen)

Southeast Asian Collection

Accession Nr.: 86.30.11
Type: woodblock print
Date of production:
second half of the 20th century
Place of production:
Materials/Techniques: paper, coloured woodblock print
Dimensions: height: 35 cm
width: 25. 6 cm
A satirical woodcut by Vietnamese Đông Hồ workshop depicts a family dispute. A jealous wife with scissors in hand is about to cut off the hair of her shameless rival, while the unfaithful husband tries to protect his beloved from his wife's wrath. Details of the garden: the pine tree, the sitting area with its curved wall, the flowers and the rocks suggest that the scene is set in the garden of a wealthy family.
Before 1959, polygamy was allowed in the wealthier families of North and Central Vietnam, and it was customary to have a second wife and concubines in addition to the head wife. Here, however, we seem to be dealing with a newly caught couple.