Details
Depth: 4cm (1.5 inches)
Width: 20cm (8 inches)
Height: 23.5cm (9.25 inches)
Ref:DG 26
This sheep’s head with its tongue sticking out is reminiscent of masques performed by mummers at Christmas time at court or in the great English country houses.This dates back to “Ludi” featuring masked dancers wearing animal heads by which Edward III was entertained at Christmas, 1347. This carving of a mask, or sheep’s head, is made of oak. The wearer has a crenellated collar and smock and dates from the late Elizabethan or early Jacobean period when masques were at their height. English, circa 1600.