YEAR OF THE SHEEP/GOAT/RAM

Enoch Wood & Sons (1818-1846) 5.5 inch plate featuring a ram and sheep

Source print for the above pattern is from "The Cabinet of Quadrupeds" by John Church, 1805.  Notice that the plate has the ram standing behind the sheep.  The two sheep are to the left of the ram in the source print.  And, the female has horns!  Perhaps this animal is a goat? 

The celebration of the Chinese Lunar year is five thousand years old.  There are twelve animals in the Chinese calendar; a different one for each year of a twelve year cycle.  The beginning of the Chinese New Year always falls between January 21 and February 21.  This year it begins on February 19.  It is the Year Of The Sheep or Goat or Ram.  I was a bit confused but I read good explanations on Mystery Fanfare and CNN.  It turns out that the Chinese use one character for horned animals (you'll see there is way more to it than that).   Below is a child's sugar bowl with a sheep on one side and a goat on the other.

Sugar bowl from a child's tea service, ca, 1880

Here are two more of  my favorite sheep and goat  patterns.

"Sheep" 5.62 inch child's plate

"Goat" 4.75 inch child's plate

Gung Hay Fat Choy! 

恭賀發財 Gung Hay Fat Choy!

The celebration of the Chinese Lunar year is five thousand years old.  There are twelve animals in the Chinese calendar;  a different one for each year of a twelve year cycle.   The beginning of the Chinese New Year always falls between January 21 and February 21.  This year, it began on January 31.  It is  the Year Of The Horse. - See more at: http://dishynews.blogspot.com/2014/02/year-of-horse.html#sthash.F2GBnjCH.dpuf

The celebration of the Chinese Lunar year is five thousand years old.  There are twelve animals in the Chinese calendar;  a different one for each year of a twelve year cycle.   The beginning of the Chinese New Year always falls between January 21 and February 21.  This year, it began on January 31.  It is  the Year Of The Horse. - See more at: http://dishynews.blogspot.com/2014/02/year-of-horse.html#sthash.F2GBnjCH.dpuf

The celebration of the Chinese Lunar year is five thousand years old.  There are twelve animals in the Chinese calendar;  a different one for each year of a twelve year cycle.   The beginning of the Chinese New Year always falls between January 21 and February 21.  This year, it began on January 31.  It is  the Year Of The Horse. - See more at: http://dishynews.blogspot.com/2014/02/year-of-horse.html#sthash.F2GBnjCH.dpuf

The celebration of the Chinese Lunar year is five thousand years old.  There are twelve animals in the Chinese calendar;  a different one for each year of a twelve year cycle.   The beginning of the Chinese New Year always falls between January 21 and February 21.  This year, it began on January 31.  It is  the Year Of The Horse. - See more at: http://dishynews.blogspot.com/2014/02/year-of-horse.html#sthash.F2GBnjCH.dpuf