Mothers of Time

Figurines: The Armless Lady

Neither the lack of arms nor the anonymous face and the round, bald head detracts from the visual richness of the piece -- a richness due primarily to the choice of ivory (probably from a mammoth) as a medium.

Closer to the "classic" model of other Venuses from Western Europe, the piece seems to have been executed in an almost mechanical manner. There is particular emphasis on the fleshy parts such as the buttocks, breasts and stomach. Also visible, on the back, is a fine line marking the spinal column. The various colours and textures on the mutilated lower legs indicate very ancient fractures as well as more recent ones. Finally, the many small longitudinal fissures visible on the figurine are characteristic of ivory when it ages.

Carved on a fragment of ivory, the figurine is 67.6 millimetres high.