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Venus of El Pendo Cave (Santander)
Note that this may be of modern manufacture
The Venus of El Pendo Cave, Camargo, province of Santander, may be of modern manufacture. It is in the form of a spear straightener or baton de commandement, made of deer antler, variously dated to the Solutrean or the upper Magdalenian, excavated by Abbé Jesus Carballo at El Pendo Cavern. Of interest is the form of the handle, which evokes the feminine form. This 'Venus' was discovered in the Solutrean layer of the El Pendo Cave. It is made of deer antler, and its form evokes that of a woman, with arms raised and with large hips.
A spear straightener made of deer antler, from the upper Magdalenian, excavated by Abbé Jesus Carballo at El Pendo Cavern.
Of interest is the form of the handle, which evokes the feminine form.
Note that the authenticity of this piece is not confirmed.
Photo: Giedion (1962)
This 'Venus' was discovered in the Solutrean layer of the El Pendo Cave, Camargo, province of Santander. It is made of deer antler, and its form evokes that of a woman, with arms raised and with large hips.
In fact, it is very likely a fragment of a baton perforé, or spear straightener.
(Delporte goes on to question the authenticity of feminine forms in the rock art of the Spanish Levant, and their attribution to the Upper Palaeolithic. Reading between the lines, he obviously thinks that this is of modern manufacture - Don )
Photo and text: Delporte (1979)
Another version of the venus.
Height 7 cm.
Photo: © Maudet Morgane, Musée de Préhistoire de Santander.
This is a facsimile of the venus.
Seen in this format, the similarity to modern norms of feminine beauty is obvious.
Photo: http://www.litos.net/tienda/arte-e-instrumentos/132-venus-del-pendo.html
References
- Delporte H., 1979: L'image de la femme dans l'art préhistorique, Paris, Picard.
- Giedion S., 1962: The eternal present: the beginnings of art : a contribution on constancy and change, Pantheon