Paleolithic Art refers to cave art and portable artworks created in the Old Stone Age or the Paleolithic Era. Some of the Paleolithic artworks are so sophisticated and intricate that it is difficult to believe that they were created so long ago. In fact, when Marcelino Sautuola discovered cave art in the Altamira cave on his property, the art was so sophisticated that it was dismissed as a hoax. Know more about these ancient masterpieces through these 9 famous examples. Click on the Title of Artworks for details and sources.
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The word Paleolithic is a combination of two Greek words palaios (old) and lithos (stone). Also known as the Old Stone Age, Paleolithic era covers almost the entire existence of humans. It began with the first known use of stone tools by hominins around 3.3 million years ago and lasted till the end of the last Ice Age around 11,700 years ago.
Paleolithic art comprises of cave art and portable artworks. Cave art of the period primarily consists of animals in profile view and geometric forms. Apart from paintings on caves, miniature sculptures and sculpture in bas-relief have been discovered at Paleolithic sites. Sculptures are also dominated by depictions of animals. The few human representations are mostly of pregnant females.
#1 Venus of Hohle Fels
| Estimated Age: | At least 35,000 years |
| Found At: | Hohle Fels, Germany |
| Discovered By: | Nicholas J. Conard |
| Discovered In: | 2008 |
Venus of Hohle Fels is made of mammoth ivory. It is a little less than 2.5 inches in height and weighs a little more than 28 grams. It is without a head. The legs are short and pointy. The figurine has large, protruding breasts and sexually explicit genitals. With an age of more than 35,000 years, it is the earliest figurine of its type in the world. While certain artifacts resembling human figures are known to be of greater age, the Hohle Fels Venus is much more sophisticated and intricately carved.
#2 Panel of the Horses
| Estimated Age: | Around 33,000 years |
| Found At: | Chauvet Cave, France |
| Discovered By: | J. Chauvet, E. Brunel & C. Hillaire |
| Discovered In: | 1994 |
Grotte Chauvet (Chauvet Cave) is dominated by animal representations with 427 such artworks found till date. Panel of the Horses is among the best known among them. It shows four horses having a diverse behavior. If we look from left to right: the first is a calmly walking horse; the second has an aggressive posture with its ears flattened backwards; the third has a relaxed posture and is perhaps sleeping; the fourth is alert with its mouth open, perhaps snorting. This has led some to believe that the painting captures the different life phases of a horse.
#3 Venus of Dolní Věstonice
| Estimated Age: | 30,000 – 26,000 years |
| Found At: | Dolní Věstonice, Czech Republic |
| Discovered By: | Karel Absolon |
| Discovered In: | 1925 |
The Venus of Dolní Věstonice, along with a few other finds from nearby locations, is the oldest known ceramic in the world. It predates the use of fired clay to make pottery by 15,000 years. The famous sculpture shows a woman with large breasts, belly and hips. It has a small head with four holes on top of it. The holes might have been created to hold something, possibly herbs or flowers. It is a small figurine with the dimensions: 11.5 cm tall, 4.4 cm wide and 2.8 cm thick.
#4 Venus of Willendorf
| Estimated Age: | 30,000 – 25,000 years |
| Found At: | Willendorf, Austria |
| Discovered By: | Josef Szombathy |
| Discovered In: | 1908 |
Constructed from oolitic limestone, Venus of Willendorf is a miniature statue with a height of exactly 110 mm. It shows a faceless female with exaggerated genitalia, pronounced hips, a belly which is jutting out and heavy breasts. There is much debate on the purpose of the statue with numerous theories put forward including it being a fertility goddess, a representative of pro-creativity and a self portrait of a woman. Venus of Willendorf is perhaps the most famous Paleolithic sculpture discovered till date.
#5 Panel of Spotted Horses
| Estimated Age: | 25,000 – 24,000 years |
| Found At: | Pech Merle Cave, France |
| Discovered By: | A. David, H. Dutertre & M. David |
| Discovered In: | 1922 |
The Panel of Spotted Horses depicts two calm and dreamlike horses who are covered in black dots. The dots have been created by blowing pigment at the wall. Much time would have been devoted to the visual qualities of the painting including the use of stencils to create clear, crisp lines. The artist has also carefully placed the dots so that they don’t overlap the outlines of the animals. Pech Merle in France remains one of the few Prehistoric sites with cave art that is open to the general public and thus this famous panel may be viewed in its original state.
#6 Chinese Horse of Lascaux
| Estimated Age: | Around 17,000 years |
| Found At: | Lascaux Cave, France |
| Discovered By: | M. Ravidat, J. Marsal, G. Agnel & S. Coencas |
| Discovered In: | 1940 |
The painted Horse was dubbed “Chinese” because, according to some, it resembled the paintings of the Song Dynasty of China. The modern-day horse which is most close to the one depicted does indeed come from that region. It is the Przewalski species from Mongolia, which like the depiction, has a small head and a bulky body. The animal paintings of Lascaux are regarded as exceptional examples of Paleolithic art and the Chinese Horse is perhaps the most famous among them.
#7 Venus Impudique
| Estimated Age: | Around 16,000 years |
| Found At: | Laugerie-Basse, France |
| Discovered By: | Paul Hurault |
| Discovered In: | 1864 |
This statue is famous partly due to the fact that it was the first Paleolithic female statue to be discovered. Paul Hurault, its discoverer, named it Venus Impudique (“Immodest Venus”) as the depicted female made no attempt to hide her sexuality. The sculpture is carved from ivory and is 8 cm tall. It has lost its head. The arms and feet are also missing. Unlike other Paleolithic figurines of females who have ample breasts and hips, Venus Impudique has a flat stomach and small, developing breasts. This has led to the theory that it represents a young girl.
#8 Two Bison of Tuc d’Audoubert
| Estimated Age: | Around 15,000 years |
| Found At: | Tuc d’Audoubert, France |
| Discovered By: | Max, Louis & Jacques Bégouën; & François Camel |
| Discovered In: | 1912 |
The Two Bison of Tuc d’Audoubert have been sculpted in relief using a stone spatula-like tool and fingers. Originally a calf stood by the front legs of the bison on the right side. Each sculpture is about 2 feet long. The clay used to create it has been taken from the wall of an adjoining cavern. The sculpture depicts a male and female bison who appear to be getting ready to mate. The artwork is remarkable for its detail and its very realistic appearance despite its small size.
#9 Altamira Bison
| Estimated Age: | Around 11,000 years |
| Found At: | Altamira Cave, Spain |
| Discovered By: | Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola |
| Discovered In: | 1878 |
Altamira cave paintings were discovered in 1878 though they were declared to be authentic only in 1902. The paintings of bison are perhaps the most famous artworks from the cave. The various paintings show the bison as they behave in the wild: standing at rest, bellowing or rolling on the ground. Subtle shading has been used to express the volume of the bison’s belly. Moreover, the forward contour of their far leg is often rendered with a lighter hue to suggest distance.