White Park Bull Head - 2017

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.