The Royal Mint has featured a British sheep breed on a coin marking the 2015 Lunar Year of the Sheep, lending a uniquely British angle to an ancient Chinese tradition. http://www.royalmint.com/our-coins/events/lunar-year-of-the-sheep-2015
The lunar coin, designed for The Royal Mint by British Chinese artist and printmaker Wuon-Gean Ho, features a pair of Swaledale sheep, a hardy breed that was developed after the First World War in Yorkshire to withstand the hardships of the British climate. Swaledale herds can now be found across Britain in exposed or mountainous regions, but are mostly concentrated in Yorkshire, County Durham, the Lake District and the Cumbrian Fells.
Wuon-Gean – who completed training as a vet before embarking on a career as a printmaker – chose Swaledale sheep for the design because of the appearance of their smooth curled horns and the swirls of their wool coats, a contrast in textures that translates well onto the intricate detailing of the coin’s design.
Those born in the Year of the Sheep are said to be freedom-loving with a passion for company, so Wuon-Gean was keen to feature more than one sheep in her design to signify friendship and family. Two Swaledales are pictured with their heads bowed towards each other, whilst the Chinese character for sheep – a pictograph of the head and horns of the animal – completes the design.
“I wanted the design to draw upon my British and Chinese heritage, as my parents are from Malaysia and Singapore and I was raised in the UK”, said Wuon-Gean.
“I recall observing sheep as part of the British landscape – in the grounds of Blenheim palace, on the hillsides of the Peak district and in the rolling Brecon Beacons. My memories of the lambing season and the close bond created between mother and child was particularly helpful in capturing the passion for company symbolised by the Year of the Sheep.”
