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

Southeast Asian Collection

Accession Nr.: 2018.1.8
Type: woodblock print
Date of production:
1960s
Place of production:
Materials/Techniques: paper, coloured woodblock print
Dimensions: height: 43 cm
width: 27 cm
A satirical woodcut by Vietnamese Đông Hồ workshop depicts a family dispute. A jealous wife with a pair of scissors is about to cut off the hair of her shameless rival, while the unfaithful husband tries to protect his beloved from her 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 permitted 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.