Sheep and shepherd-boy under a willow
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1909.244e
Tags
Charles Lang Freer collectionChinaChinese ArtMing dynasty (1368 - 1644)fishingfrogherdingsheepwillow tree
About this artwork
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.