This woodblock print depicts five tigers that represent the Daoist cosmological symbol of the "five points of the compass" or the five elements - earth, wind, fire, water and metal. The colours are also symbols of the elements. The print is made on hand-made paper using woodblocks that were carved around 50 or more years ago. It is composed of printed outlines in black which were hand-tinted with brightly coloured Chinese inks. Printmaking was one of the village crafts that was traditionally undertaken between the agricultural seasons. This print is by Mr Le Dinh Ngien, one of the last surviving printmakers of the Hang Trung style. Hang Trung is one of the 36 streets in old Hanoi which specialised in various crafts.
