Buffalo Licking his Back
Ca. 14 000 B.C., Magdalenian
La Madeleine in the Dordogne of southwest France (Tursac, Dordogne)
Reindeer antler, sculpture
H. 6,90 cm; L. 104 cm; P. 2 cm
Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac, musée national de la Préhistoire
The "Buffalo Licking his Back" is one of the most well known works...
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Buffalo Licking his Back
Ca. 14 000 B.C., Magdalenian
La Madeleine in the Dordogne of southwest France (Tursac, Dordogne)
Reindeer antler, sculpture
H. 6,90 cm; L. 104 cm; P. 2 cm
Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac, musée national de la Préhistoire
The "Buffalo Licking his Back" is one of the most well known works of Palaeolithic art. The body of the animal and the legs, one of which is broken off, have nothing exceptional: the shapes are correct, the attitude is well captured although somewhat less vivid than in other works.
However, the outstanding aspect of this piece lies in the fact that the artist has represented the animal's head "in a retrospective position", he has therefore treated this head in a smooth champlevé against the animal's body with such mast" that the bison's head may be considered as one of the finest in ail Palaeolithic figuration.
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