Baton fragment with engraved female figure
La Madeleine, Dordogne, France.
Antler
Length: 19.5 cms
The British Museum
Palart.318
This damaged perforated baton shows an unusual female figure. The deeply engraved figure has also been interpreted as a harpoon and an amphibian but is most probably an abstract depiction of a headless woman seen in front view with large, asymmetric breasts shown to the sides of a long, thin torso curving out into rounded hips then tapering into the top of the legs which are not shown. Unfortunately, the baton is broken across the hips so any indication of genitalia, if such was present, has been destroyed. The depiction is exceptional but the long body tapers out into the shapely hips and thighs encapsulate an elegant sexuality accomplished through intellectual ingenuity rather than straight forward naturalism.
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