The ''Vénus impudique'' ("Immodest Venus", also known as ''Venus Impudica'' and ''Vénus de Vibraye'') is the first
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...
sculptural representation of a woman discovered in modern times. It was found by
Paul Hurault, 8th Marquis de Vibraye in about 1864 at the famous archaeological site of
Laugerie-Basse
Laugerie-Basse is an important Upper Paleolithic archaeological site within the territory of the French commune Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil in Dordogne. It is known for several works of art from the Magdalenian. In 1979, Laugerie-Basse, along wit ...
in the
Vézère
The Vézère (; ) is a 211-km-long river in southwestern France. It is an important tributary to the Dordogne (river), Dordogne. Its source is in the northwestern part of the elevated plateau known as the Massif Central. It flows into the Dordog ...
valley (one of the
many important Stone Age sites in and around the commune of
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil (; ) is a former commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It was created in 1973 by the merger of two former communes: Les Eyzies-de-Tayac and Sireuil. On 1 January 2019, it wa ...
in
Dordogne
Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...
, southwestern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
).
Features
The
Magdalenian
Magdalenian cultures (also Madelenian; ) are later cultures of the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic in western Europe. They date from around 17,000 to 12,000 years before present. It is named after the type site of Abri de la Madeleine, a ro ...
"Venus" from Laugerie-Basse is headless, footless, armless but with a strongly incised
vulva
In mammals, the vulva (: vulvas or vulvae) comprises mostly external, visible structures of the female sex organ, genitalia leading into the interior of the female reproductive tract. For humans, it includes the mons pubis, labia majora, lab ...
. The figurine is eight centimetres tall and carved from ivory. Despite 'Venus' suggesting fertility, its features and flat stomach lead some to believe the figure depicts a young girl.
Meaning and significance of the name
The
Marquis de Vibraye named it ''La Vénus impudique'' or ''Venus Impudica'' ("immodest Venus"), contrasting it to the ''
Venus Pudica.'' ''Venus Pudica'' was a class of Roman sculptures depicting the goddess
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
who, unlike the ''Venus Impudique,'' were covering her naked pubis with her right hand, and her breasts with the other. It is from this name that we get the term "
Venus figurines
A Venus figurine is any Upper Palaeolithic statue portraying a woman, usually carved in the round.Fagan, Brian M., Beck, Charlotte, "Venus Figurines", beliefs '' The Oxford Companion to Archaeology'', 1996, Oxford University Press, pp. 740– ...
" commonly used for Stone Age sculptures of this kind.
Goddess of Beauty
The name given to ''Venus Impudique'' by the Marquis de Vibraye was significant in setting the precedent for the names of subsequent Upper Palaeolithic figures that have been found since. Subsequently, Upper Palaeolithic female figurines have collectively been named "Venus figurines" which derives from the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
goddess of beauty,
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
. Despite considerable diversity in opinion amongst
archeologists
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeolog ...
and in
paleoanthropological literature as to the function and significance of the figures, the name arises from the assumption that the figurines represent an ancient ideal of beauty. This perception is said to have derived from the fact that attention is directed to certain features common to most of the figurines. In particular, emotionally charged primary and secondary sexual characteristics, such as, the breasts, stomachs and buttocks. However, somewhat ironically, the figurines predate the mythological figure of
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
by thousands of years. As a result, critics, such as Vandewettering, have highlighted that this could be a reflection of
androcentric interpretations of the Venus figurines that, she suggests, were the starting point for archaeological understandings.
[Vandewettering, Kaylea R. (2015). "Upper Paleolithic Venus Figurines and Interpretations of Prehistoric Gender Representations". ''PURE Insights''. 4 – via Western Oregon University.]
See also
*
Venus figurine
A Venus figurine is any Upper Palaeolithic statue portraying a woman, usually carved in the round.Fagan, Brian M., Beck, Charlotte, "Venus Figurines", beliefs '' The Oxford Companion to Archaeology'', 1996, Oxford University Press, pp. 740–7 ...
*
Vénus impudique - French Wikipedia
References
Impudique
Ivory works of art
{{Europe-archaeology-stub
Prehistoric art in France