Ancient Caves Of France

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/chauvet/
National Geographic, August 2001 Floor plan of the Chauvet Cave, by National Geographic Maps
Lion Panel, detail (L. : about 2,50 m.).To the right of the dihedral with the bison heads seen from the front, this is a detail of the lion frieze. This panel has been scraped repeatedly in order to make the muzzles of the lions stand out by delineating them with fine engraving. Their heads are enhanced with stump drawing and their eyes are underlined. This hunting scene is rendered all the more dynamic by the forelegs being projected towards the front and by the animals being put into spatial perspective. (photo n° 18 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
Lion Panel. (L. about 6 metres). Three big black lions turned to the left are superimposed over former red figures, with dots among them. On their right, a group of seventeen rhinos was - according to J. Clottes - drawn in at least six different episodes. (photo n° 16 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
Lion Panel, left, detail (L., about 1.80 m). Three big lions have been drawn on top of earlier figures of lions. The one in the background, standing out after scraping, is only representend by the beginning of its back line, its ear and the top of its face. On the other two one can see how stump drawing was used and the whiskers put in. The fine engravings in the foreground are cave bear scratches, which shows that the bears came back to the cave after the people had made their drawings. photo n° 20 (French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
Panel of the Horses. An extensive frieze covers more than 6 square meters ; it is within a bigger composition more than 6 meters long. The wall was scraped which destroyed former figures. Then were successively drawn aurochs turned to the left with stump drawing, rhinoceroces, and finally two rhinos sketched in front of each other dated to 31,000 by radiocarbon. A smaller bison can be seen below as well as torch marks which were made 4000 years later on top of the rhino on the right. (photo n°10 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
Panel with the horses (detail. L. : about 1,10 m.). Horses drawn in parallel on top of the former lines of the aurochs which are used for the back line (see on top and to the right) ; a horn remains behind the second figure. A supernumerary mane adds to the impression of numbers and it reinforces the perspective already present through the curvilenear progressive deformation of the heads (&quot;polar vision&quot;). Stump drawing is used for the heads while the nostrils are finely underlined by scraping which partly destroyed the back of a rhino. (photo n° 12 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology
Panel with horses, right side (L. : about 1,60 m.). Four horses with stump drawing for their heads. Note the way the manes were drawn as well as the thin covering of iron oxide coloured calcite which deposited on top of the drawings, thus testifiying to their authenticity. (French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
The most spectacular rhinoceroces in a group of seventeen. Those animals are particularly plentiful in the Chauvet Cave. ( slide n° 34 Jean Clottes http://www.culture.gouv.fr/rhone-alpes/chauvet/anglais/lettre3/album2.htm
Lion panel, left, group of rhinos, detail (L., about 1,80 m). Spatial perspective is suggested by the decreasing length of the seven hypertrophied front horns and by the multiplication of the lines of the back that are however only six. An isolated earlier animal seems to tower over the group at the back. Note the middle band of the first animal, while that of the one in the foreground was entirely stump drawn. (photo n°19 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
Megaceros gallery. Rhinoceros with the features which are frequent for that animal species in the Chauvet Cave : hypertrophied front horn, ears in a double arch, rounded paws, middle band on the body. Stump drawing was used both for the head and shoulder (L., about 0.50 m). (photo n° 9 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
A big rhinoceros at the entrance to the End Chamber (left wall). All the characteristic features of the rhinos in the Chauvet Cave are present : small ears in a double arch, dorsal band, well-indicated belly, jaw materialised. ( slide n° 29 Jean Clottes http://www.culture.gouv.fr/rhone-alpes/chauvet/anglais/lettre3/album2.htm
Megaceros Gallery. A rhinoceros in a concavity of the wall. The front horn is exaggerated. The ears are in a double arch and the paws are rounded. In the middle of its back the grey band - which is frequent for rhinoceroces in the Chauvet Cave - does not correspond to a real anatomical feature. The double line of the back betrays a former drawing (L., about 0.50 m). (photo n°8 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
A nice mammoth with a very long trunk in the passage leading to Sacristie (End Chamber). Its tusks were redrawn by engraving after having been drawn in black. The animal was made on a wall covered with cave bear scratches. ( slide n° 36 Jean Clottes http://www.culture.gouv.fr/rhone-alpes/chauvet/anglais/lettre3/album2.htm
Recess of the Panel of the Horses, right side (L., about 1 m). Bison shown in twisted perspective. Utilization of stump drawing for its head and back line ; the hair on top of the head is shown. We can note the doubling of the hindquarters and the extra number of legs, showing a dynamic animal running or possibly two bison side by side. (photo n° 14 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
Megaceros gallery. Megaceros deer slanting and turned to the right (L., about 0.80 m). The wall was previously scraped which destroyed some anterior designs. Stump drawing to enhance the back, the throat and the chest. To the left, a very sketchy outline of a vertical rhinoceros with some of the characteristic features common to those animals in the Chauvet Cave. (photo n° 15 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
Panel of the panther (detail). In the foreground, an animal which could be a hyena with dots on its coat or a bear. On the left, a panther with dots on the body : its tail is characteristic (approximate length : 1 m). Those figures are set within an extensive panel (more or less 3 by 3 meters) that also includes a bear, an ibex and other red animals (photo n°3 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
The cactus gallery. Cave bear turned to the left ; red, with stump drawing. Notice the ears on an oblique level suggesting perspective. The shoulder is underlined with three red marks. The head and the back line of a lion have been drawn at the level of the shoulder. ( picture n° 2 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region -Regional department of archaeology)
Red bears not far from the entrance in an out-of-the-way low recess. Cave bears can be identified because of the marked relief of their brow. ( slide n° 32 Jean Clottes ) http://www.culture.gouv.fr/rhone-alpes/chauvet/anglais/lettre3/album2.htm
A rock formation above the big collapse in the Hillaire Chamber.A horse turned to the left was drawn with the finger on a thin film of clay now strengthened by carbonates. Previously, some scraping had taken place, other animals had been drawn and markings made. (photo n° 6 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)
Mysterious geometric signs on a rock hanging from the ceiling. They could also be interpreted as birds or butterflies. ( slide n° 31 Jean Clottes http://www.culture.gouv.fr/rhone-alpes/chauvet/anglais/lettre3/album2.htm
Panel of the Hand stencils. The hand stencil was obtained by blowing paint onto a hand applied against the wall (L : about 0.10 m). The black profile is that of a mammoth (with its back line, head and trunk) turned to the left. It was drawn after the hand. (photo n° 4 French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs - Rhône-Alpes region - Regional department of archaeology)

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