Sheep and shepherd-boy under a willow1368-1644
Three sheep graze in one corner as a shepherd plays under a shady willow tree. The inscribed title of the painting reads "sanyang kaitai," or "three sheep bring prosperity." More about this work
About this work
Three sheep graze in one corner as a shepherd plays under a shady willow tree. The inscribed title of the painting reads "sanyang kaitai," or "three sheep bring prosperity." The symbolism becomes more complex because sheep (yang) is a rebus for the Dao trigram with three long lines that represents spring. Because the Chinese New Year is associated with spring, sheep are commonly used to symbolize blessings for the coming New Year.
Text from the National Museum of Asian Art.
How it was made
- Ink and colour on silk
- Silk was sized with glue and alum so it would hold a crisp brushline, and mineral colours were built up in thin layers. The sheen of the weave still shows through.
Li Song
late 12th-early 13th century
Chinese painting
Ink and colour on silk and paper, from imperial courts to scholars' retreats.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The National Museum of Asian Art has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- F1909.244e
- Credit
- Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- National Museum of Asian Art
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
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Close in colour
