The Venus of Willendorf

The famous Venus of Willendorf was sculpted from oolitic limestone, and is one of three such figurines recovered from Paleolithic archeological sites at Willendorf in Austria. The sites have yielded numerous artifacts from temporary settlements of the Gravettian culture (26,000-20,000 BCE). The Venus of Willendorf is one of many similarly shaped, female carvings - known as "Venus Figurines" - found across Europe which were made during this era.

Discovery

The carving was discovered in 1908 by Austrian archeologist Josef Szombathy during systematic investigations of the local Gravettian settlements in lower Austria, near Krems.

Description and Composition

The figurine is roughly 11 centimetres in height and a maximum of 4 centimetres in width. Sculpted from yellowish limestone, tinted red by traces of ochre, the stumpy female figure features pendulous breasts, an obese middle and belly, and pronounced buttocks. In all, a realistic representation of a severely overweight woman. There is no facial detail - the head being almost completely covered by a braided pattern - and the feet appear to be broken off, while the belly button and vulva are clearly defined.

PREHISTORIC ART in IRELAND
For details of arts & culture
during the Pleistocene and
Holocene epochs, see:
Irish Stone Age Art
Mainly megalithic architecture
Irish Bronze Age Art
Celtic metalwork, tomb-building
Irish Iron Age Art
La Tene Celtic culture, sculpture

Date

The Venus of Willendorf has been classified as belonging to to the Gravettian or Upper Périgordian culture of the Upper Paleolithic period - the final period of the early Stone Age, and dated to approximately 25,000 BCE. It is part of the permanent collection of the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna.

Other Venus Statuettes

The Venus of Willendorf was created during the same period as several other famous Stone Age figurines, including the Venuses of Brassempouy (France), Dolní Vestonice (Czech Republic), Savignano (Italy), Lespugue (France) and the Russian limestone Venus of Kostenki. Unfortunately, little is yet known about the origin or cultural significance of these early statuettes. Note that these figurines are not connected with the two earlier humanoid figures of the Lower Paleolithic: the Venus of Berekhat Ram and the Venus of Tan-Tan.

Interpretation

What makes the Willendof statuette so compelling is its graphic portrayal of obesity. One feels that, despite the scarcity of food and the unlikely prevalence of overweight females, the sculptor must have worked from a model. If so, this "celebration" of what would have been rare corpulence, might be a factor in the work's interpretation. In other words, such a body shape might have been worth ritualization. The fact that no equivalent male figures have been unearthed need not undermine this theory. First because few male Stone Age figures of any description have been discovered, second because female bodies have traditionally been hallowed as fertility symbols, not unlike the Virgin Mary of modern Christianity.

• For the earliest art of the Stone Age, see: Bhimbetka Petroglyphs.
• For more about prehistoric art, see: Cave Painting - Lascaux - Chauvet - Altamira - Pech-Merle - Cosquer
• See also: Blombos Cave Art - Ivory Carvings Swabian Jura - Oldest Art - Top 50 Oldest Works of Art
• For the history and facts about painting and sculpture in Ireland, see: Irish Art Guide.

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