With the exception of The Mask, all of these carvings can be seen as variations on the Palaeolithic Venus, a model that we now recognize as fundamental to the artistic repertoire of the Eurasian Upper Palaeolithic. Research shows that this model occurs, with regional variations, in many places in Western Europe, Central Europe (the Czech Republic and Slovakia, for example), Eastern Europe (Ukraine and the Russian plain) and even in the Lake Baykal region of Siberia.
In most cases, the figurines are miniature sculptures of well-rounded female nudes, fashioned - depending on the region - from ivory, antler or soft stone, and sometimes even clay, which was later fired. The treatment seems to have followed certain rules, the most obvious being an overemphasis of the fleshy parts of the body (buttocks, stomach and chest) and, at times, an explicit portrayal of various sexual attributes.
In general, little attention seems to have been paid to the rendering of the legs, which are hardly suggested; the arms, which are often missing; and the head, which, if it exists at all, is often faceless. In a number of statuettes, one sees details in the headgear, hair and even the clothes.
Although this is, to some extent, an accurate description of the
main features of the Palaeolithic Venus, it does, nonetheless,
need to be qualified, since it comes to us from prehistorians at
the turn of the century who had only a small sample to work with.
Indeed, the Balzi Rossi figurines exhibit such an astonishing
range of variations as to raise
doubts about the authenticity of
some of Jullien's pieces.
Created: April 25, 1995. Last update: March 24. 2004 © Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation |