Catalog
Paleolithic Animals
Horse of Lourdes (or Horse of the Espélugues Caves)
This statuette of horse was discovered at the end of the XIXth century in the cave of Espélugues in Lourdes in the Hautes-Pyrénées. It is attributed to the Magdalenian period (around 15,000 years). Shaped in mammoth ivory, a rare material in Western Europe, this figurine shows great mastery of sculpture and engraving.The horse is rendered in a very...Bison licking itself - Cave of the Madeleine
Found in Tursac in the Dordogne, this sculpture, like many others whose general shape is controlled by that of the fragment of reindeer wood used for its manufacture, belongs to what can be called the "flattened round bump", in the sense that the thickness of the object does not correspond to reality. It's probably a propellant fragment. Bison licking" is...Creeping Hyena Spear Thrower of La Madeleine
Creeping Hyena Spear Thrower of La Madeleine With its short, thick muzzle, small nostrils, round eye and curved forehead, the animal depicted could be a hyena and would therefore be unique, as there is no undoubted representation of this carnivorous animal in the furniture or parietal field. Nevertheless, it is also possible that the artist wished to...Mammoth of the Madeleine
Mammoth engraved on ivory from the Madeleine.The animal is represented on a mammoth ivory tusk, in a massive but dynamic attitude. The engraving is particularly rich in detail and realism, it is the first known and most faithful portrait of a mammoth.Discovered in May 1864, in the presence of Edouard Lartet and the paleontologists Edouard de Verneuil and...Baton perforated with engraved wild horses from Abri de la Madeleine
Baton with engraved wild horses from Abri de la Madeleine.(Bâtons de commandement or bâtons percé or batons perforé or pierced batons are thought by some to have been spear straighteners, (which may be why they are often found broken at the hole). There are many other theories as to their use. The ability to bend is an integral part of why they are able...Engraved deer - cave of Pergouset
Engraved deer - cave of PergousetEngraved deer with a long neck, discovered inside room IV of the open cave of Le Pergouset. This cave faces south of the cliff, and dominates the right bank of the Lot by about ten metres. The entrance is at the confluence of the Lot and Célé rivers, both of which are nearby. This area has many decorated caves, including...Engraving of grasshopper and birds - cave of Enlène
Grasshopper and birds engraved on bone, from the Enlène cave at Montesquieu-Avantès, Ariège. It was found at the entrance to the gallery leading to Les Trois-Frères, and has long been attributed to the latter cave.This fragment of engraved bone bears a very precise engraving of a grasshopper (genus Troglophilus), made with great attention to detail. In...Spearthrower engraved with three horse heads - cave of mas Azil
Fragment of a spearthrower with 3 horse heads, one of which is scratched, but a 4th head (missing) had to support the hook of the thrower by the substitute of the horse's ear. Facing the back: one head is extended by a neck. This type of image, a flayed horse's head, has been found several times in the cave of Azil and may have had a ritual significance....Spearthrower engraved with four horse heads - cave of mas Azil
Restoration of the fragment of the spear thruster to the 3 horse heads, one of which is scratched, but a 4th head which was to support the hook of the thruster by the substitute of the horse's ear has been added here. On the back: one of the heads is extended by a neck. The propeller shaft is also lengthened.This type of image, a flayed horse's head, has...The roaring bison of the abri de la Madeleine
The roaring bison of the abri de la MadeleineSculpture on carved antler (reindeer) discovered by D. Peyrony and L. Capitan in the abri de la Madeleine. Among the objects discovered, the famous "licking bison itself" and "the so-called roaring bison" are among the masterpieces of Magdalenian furniture art. The "licking bison itself" is well known to the...
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