Prehistoric Art
Venus of Grimaldi
RF004013
Hand patinated reproduction, on a stone base. Mold made from a print of the original work exhibited at the Musée d'archéologie nationale of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
This female statuette or "Venus" has been discovered at the end of the 19th century in the caves of Balzi Rossi at Grimaldi in Italy, close to the Franco-Italian border.
It is allotted to the upper Palaeolithic period (around - 25.000 years).
This figurine carved in green steatite was called "the Rhombus" because of its silhouette, with a generous body but a reduced head and members.
It is in fact a pregnant woman, with the sexual and maternal characters exaggerated, which evokes fruitfulness, important concept for the prehistoric hunters-gatherers.
