Perforated baton fragment with low relief of galloping horse
La Madeleine, Dordogne France.
Antler
Length: 16.6 cms
The British Museum
Palart.310
The horse shown racing or, perhaps, jumping towards the perforation on this baton fragment is formed in low relief by scraping away the surface of the antler on the outside of the deeply engraved outline. The pricked ears, raised tail and position of the front legs suggest the animal is alarmed and galloping. A sign in its side may indicate a cause of its fear and flight. The image may have been part of a composition mow lost due to the ancient breakage of the piece. After this breakage, the material was recycled by using the side opposite side as a source of antler splinters the removal of which left deep grooves. The extracted pieces could have been transformed into needles, piercers or dart tips.