Bronze statue of the twelve zodiac animal heads in Yuanmingyuan - Sheep Head

Originally part of the fountain outside the Haiyan Hall of the Yuanmingyuan. The bronze statue of the sheep's head represents the hour of Wei (13:00 to 15:00) and is one of the twelve zodiac bronze statues. It was designed by European missionary, Italian Lang Shining, supervised by French Jiang Youren, and produced by Qing court craftsmen. The bronze statue of a sheep's head is renowned for its exquisite casting techniques and the fusion of Eastern and Western art. In 1860, the Anglo French coalition invaded China and set fire to the Yuanmingyuan, causing the loss of the sheep head bronze statue overseas. Until now, its whereabouts are still unknown. Like several other animal heads, its fate has become a symbol of the loss of cultural relics overseas from the Yuanmingyuan and a witness to the loss of Chinese cultural heritage.