Perforated baton with reiner
El Castillo, Puente Viesgo, Cantabria
Antler
Length: 24.6 cms
Museo de bellas Artes de Santander
1709
Ingeniously adapted to the shape of the antler this engraved drawing of a red deer stag is drawn with realism and economy. The head of the animal is lowered so that the antlers appear an unnatural position in front of it conforming to the tapering shape of the baton handle. Given the position of the legs, the lower parts of which are not shown, and the relaxed tail, it is possible that the stag is quietly grazing but the treatment of the abdomen suggests that the intention was to show more of the underside than is usually visible. This may suggest that the animal was posed death lying on its side on the ground. The outlines of the engraving are confident and deep whereas the internal contour lines detailing the shoulder and facial features are finer.
Red deer were an important source of food and raw materials for human groups in late Ice Age Cantabria and they are the frequently depicted animal in the portable art of this region in which stags are less frequently shown than females. Elsewhere the most commonly depicted animals are not always the main source of food.
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