[Jacob-list] Shepherdess sampler circa 1780

[dave & katrina]

I was surfing the net recently and came across a website http://www.scarlet-letter.com/RepSamDesp/18thEng/S&SJacobSheep.htm that was selling antique cross-stitch reproduction sampler kits, one of which was called Shepherd and Shepherdess with Jacob sheep, England, circa 1780. It shows 2 people beside a tree with a few spotted sheep around them.  
The sampler is described as protraying a common theme of the time as 'admiration for the innocence and simplicity of rural life....Harking back to engagement pictures of the 17th century, these refined and elegant shepherdesses are courted by equally genteel shepherds.'  

The desciption of this piece goes on to describe Jacobs as 'a rare, hardy and ancient breed recently brought back from the brink of extinction. Jacob sheep were known as Park sheep: aesthetically pleasing with their distinct spots and multiple horns, they grazed the lands around large estates and came to be associated with the wealthy landowning class.'
Has anyone else happened across this site? I thought it is fun to see Jacobs showing up in the art of the times.  
Katrina Lefever, Chicory Lane Farm
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