‘Peace on the High Ground’ is an impressive sculpture, depicting a majestic wild mountain ram. It’s immortalised here standing at 23cm high - a little lower than it’s traditional Rocky Mountain habitat - and crafted in exquisite detail in just over 1387g of sterling silver.
Pieces like this are sometimes called objet d’art because it’s not a traditional form like a large bronze, porcelain figurine or a more abstract decorative item like a Faberge Egg. The accuracy and detail is blended perfectly with an highly artistic impression of life and movement in contrasting colours of silver. It is an object of both artistry, and art, made by hand in our workshop using techniques that have barely changed in five hundred years.
The mountain ram (ovis canadensis) is from the Bighorn Sheep family. These wild sheep are believed to have crossed over the ice age land bridge between North America and Asia, and were often domesticated and interbred with other wild sheep, making them the ancestors of domestic livestock all over Asia and Europe. They were the inspiration behind the Chinese Ram / Goat - whose distinctive horns are quite recognisable here - a birth sign that symbolises peace and prosperity, hence its name.
This atmospheric sculpture shows our ram clothed in hand chased silver with incredibly fine detailing and curls. It has a surface that feels almost soft to the touch and warm like the wool it replicates. Our ram is standing on a silver base, which has been hand textured to represent the granite and dolomite mountain outcrops of the Rockies, oxidised to a glossy dark grey by hand in our workshops, and lacquered to give it depth and shine.