Sculpted horse head
Duruthy, Landes, France
Mammoth ivory
Length: 4.9 cms
Musée archéologique d’Arthous, Hastingues
950901 79.1.2
This little masterpiece is slightly damaged at the top the head and the base of the neck where it may have had a suspension hole. Although the mammoth ivory was much harder to work than the limestone and sandstone used for the other sculptures, the contours are as skilfully achieved. The ears and forelock are missing due to excavation damage. The hairs of the mane are indicated by oblique incisions and the eyes appear in relief emphasised by an incised around their circumferences. The nostrils are not hollowed out and the mouth is closed. Like the other horse sculptures from Duruthy and the ibex heads engraved on an antler baton (fig.xx), the sculpture has extraordinary vivacity. Although made in miniature it bears comparison in terms of artistry and craftsmanship if not scale with the great horse head from the Parthenon (fig.xx), as do other sculpted horse heads of this period.
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