Page 150 - Deydier UNDERSTANDING CHINESE ARCHAIC BRONZES

The Ram, Sheep or Goat Motif 羊紋
For the Chinese, in common with the people of many other ancient
cultures, the sheep, ram or goat (for the Chinese character yang 羊
alone can be used to refer to all three of these), has, perhaps because of
its corpulence and the quality of its fur, always been a symbol of well-
being and prosperity.

For the ancient Chinese, the animal signified even more. It is recorded
in ancient Chinese chronicles that the great statesman and the ‘Father
of the Chinese Justice System’ Gao Yao 皋陶/皋繇, who served under
three kings of the Xia 夏 dynasty, Yao 堯, Shun 舜 and Yu 禹 praised
the sheep, ram or goat as a paragon of filial piety 孝道, since the lamb
or kid kneels respectfully when nursing and suckles gently from its
mother’s breasts.

For the ancient Chinese, the sheep, ram or goat was also considered a
pure and noble enough animal to be offered in sacrifice to the spirits
and the ancestors and was regarded as especially auspicious, as
confirmed by the fact that the most ancient form of the character yang
羊 or sheep, ram or goat as found in oracle bone inscriptions jiaguwen
甲骨文, was also used interchangeably to represent the character xiang
祥 (示 radical + 羊 sheep) meaning ‘auspicious’, ‘propitious’. Even in

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Ram motif, detail of the fangding, Shang dynasty, Yinxu period (circa 14 – 12 /11 centuries
B.C.) – Meiyintang n° 178 (See photo on page 33).
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