Paleolithic Limestone Fragment with a Mammoth and Several Mooses

Culture: Western Europe

Period: Upper Paleolithic, Badegoulien, 17000-15000 B.C.

Material: Limestone

Dimensions: 10 cm high

Price: 22 000 Euro

Ref: 5276

Provenance: From the collection of the French entrepreneur and pre-historian Claude Douce (born 1937). Accompanied by a French antiquities passport.

Condition: A small part outside the image area at the lower end reattached, otherwise very well preserved.

Description: Important limestone fragment from one of the three caves in Badegoulien in Southwestern France with numerous engraved animal depictions dating to the Upper Paleolithic. Clearly recognizable in the upper part is a mammoth to the right with a long, downwards curved trunk and an enormous tusk. A herd of bovine animals, possibly moose or stags, is engraved in the forefront. The period named after the Badegoulien site is characterized by the emergence of more advanced tools such as robust burins, drills and bladed knives. This made more complex rock carvings and drawings like the present one possible for the first time.