White Park Bull Head - 2017 SOLD OUT

Bronze, Signed Hamish Mackie, Numbered edition of 12, Dated 2017
SOLD OUT
40cm high x 39cm wide x 38cm deep / 15.5" high x 15.5" wide x 15" deep
Sculptures can be shipped world wide at cost, no VAT payable on exports outside the EU.

White Park cattle are an ancient British rare breed, descended from the wild white cattle known to have had ceremonial and ritual status to the Druids and the Celtic people. Although found in large numbers through most of the British Isles two thousand years ago, by the Second World War their numbers had dwindled and concerns for the survival of the breed prompted a small herd to be shipped to the United States for safekeeping.

Chosen as the emblem for the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, these cattle hold a special place in British cultural heritage. They have been an inspiration to artists over millennia, from Palaeolithic cave paintings to Edwin Landseer's 1887 painting, The Wild Cattle of Chillingham.

This bronze White Park Bull Head has the distinguished features typical of this proud breed - his milky-white face has dark points on muzzle, ears and eye-rims and his elegant spreading horns are also tipped. Hamish's sensitive handling of his material also conveys a sense of the animal's nobility and fine bearing.

Click on the main image to zoom into the picture.

THIS SCULPTURE IN THE MAKING

Hamish with white park bull head model

I worked on the sculpture from life in the great British outdoors, took measurements and photographs then finished it off in the studio. I really enjoy sculpting cattle and the White Park breed in particular were a privilege to sculpt knowing their importance and heritage. I couldn't resist a quirky reference to modern beef production on the base of this sculpture!