Three Yang [Goats], an Auspicious Start (to the New Year), Emperor Xuanzong (1399-1435), Ming dynasty. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper, 211.6 x 142.5 cm. 

Emperor Xuanzong (personal name Zhu Zhanji) was able to produce free and natural works of painting and calligraphy, resulting in him often being compared to Huizong (1082-1135), the Northern Song emperor most renowned in Chinese history as an artist. In this ink painting with light colors from the fourth year of Xuanzong's reign (1429) are a ewe and two lambs with a background of bamboo, rocks, and camellias. The subject of three goats is a homophone for "Three Yang, an Auspicious Start to the New Year." This title comes from the Book of Changes, which consists of 64 hexagram (six-line) combinations of trigrams (three-line symbols). The eleventh hexagram translates literally as "Earth (and) Heavens (at) Peace" and is represented by the symbol  . With the three lines of qian (yang) below and three of kun (yin) above unified and harmoniously connected, it symbolizes peace throughout the heavens and earth. Of the twelve lunar months, the first is when peace takes up residence, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring when yin is eclipsed by yang, indicating an auspicious sign.

Text and images are provided by National Palace Museum