Female figure engraved as a lozenge pattern
Montastruc, Bruniquel, France.
Antler
Length: 12.8 cms
The British Museum
Palart.566
This unusual frontal view of a woman viewed as a pattern of lozenge shapes is deeply engraved with broad lines on an antler chisel. The top of her heads points to the working edge of the tool so the viewer would see her the right way up while working. The convexity of the antler surface and width of the lower torso may indicate a pregnant figure. The sexual triangle is obvious and the external lines adjacent to the upper body probably represent breasts, although the woman may also be seen standing with her hands on her hips.
The capacity to abstract the body into a pattern requires the imaginative ingenuity to question and experiment with forms and volumes. It is often seen in 20th century works such as Grand Nu by Henri Matisse.
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