Horse heads with a deer
Courbet Cave, Penne-Tarn, France
Bone
Length: 15,1 cms
The British Museum
Palart.508
Both sides of this horse rib with ancient breaks at each end are engraved with animal heads. One side has two horses facing left and a smaller deer head placed in perspective behind the horses looking right on that end. The opposite side depict a line of three horse heads facing left. With their raised heads and laid back ears the horses are evidently frightened and are shown jostling one behind the other as wild horses do when fleeing from danger. The intensity of the moment is heightened by the lack of space around the animals whose heads occupy the entire area of the bone surface. By filling the space with the composition the artist communicated the panic and grouping of the galloping herd.
This is further emphasised by the distinctive drawing technique. Only the upper lines of the faces, noses and mouths are solid. The manes and neckline are achieved by engraving numerous oblique lines that suggest or ‘tone’ in the form rather than defining the shape. The combination of line and tone adds realism and communicates the texture and movement of the manes, forelocks and beards of the horses that cover the neck and jaw lines. It is delicate and sophisticated work that gets to the essence of the living animals by expressing their movement. Rarely seen on engraved portable pieces, this technique of combining line and tone is reminiscent of images on cave walls in which an initial solid outline is rubbed or smeared to eliminate a clear edge. This toning often takes colour into and around indents and protrusions of the rock so their form is embodied within the drawing making the animals more realistic and part of their natural background as in nature.
Realism is also indicated by the size, variation and positioning of the animals in the group of the three heads. The shorter, more convex head on the left may be foal on the inside of a stallion and mare. This may reflect the tendency of adult horses to try to protect their young by keeping them to the inside of the herd where they are less vulnerable when danger threatens. The significance of the little head heading off in the opposite direction is unknown
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