Female figures beads
Courbet Cave, Penne-Tarn, France
Mammoth Ivory
Height: 2.5 cms
The British Museum
Palart.519 & 520
Profile or silhouette figures were not only engraved, they were also produced as tiny sculptures some of which are perforated as beads or pendants. These two beads perforated at the level of the hips were either held on clothing by means of a knot or suspended on a cord. They are made from mammoth ivory and despite their diminutive size still convey the attractive curvature of the female profile emphasised by horizontal engraved lines on the edges.
Close