Reading Palaeolithic Art: The Panel Of Horses

A beginners guide to understanding and interpreting Palaeolithic artwork

The horses are splendid, depicted with a remarkable realism and sense of detail: the pupils, nostrils and half-open muzzles are breathtakingly lifelike. The outline of the lowest one has been scraped to make it clearer. Shading gives an impression of volume. The aesthetic mastery of these artists is exceptional, and we could hardly believe our eyes. The cave ranks with the masterpieces of world Palaeolithic art, as beautiful as Altamira or Lascaux. Jean-Marie, who a few moments before had pointed out that we had not yet found any horses, was stammering. Christian was uttering exclamations of amazement. When Eliette and Carole rushed over, they overflowed with joy and emotion in their turn, trying to release the tension we were all feeling. These were minutes of indescribable madness. But again our wonder was mingled with a kind of anxiety. We almost had the feeling that we were desecrating a sanctuary that had remained hidden for thousands of years. Since the Palaeolithic people had left we were the first to enter these protected places.

Dawn of Art: The Chauvet Cave (1996) Jean-Marie Chauvet, Eliette Brunel Deschamps, and Christian Hillaire

The three authors of the above quote were the first human beings to enter through the entrance of Chauvet cave, hidden away amongst the Cevennes and Rhone valleys at Vallon Pont-d’Arc, Ardèche, France. Once inside they discovered the most breathtaking of images, retreating away from them in the darkness, covering the walls whilst the bones of cave bears crunched beneath their feet. One of the many beautiful panels of images they found has become known as the Panel of Horses, and stands up with the Ghent Altarpiece and the Last Supper as famous artworks one ought to know about.

But Palaeolithic art does not receive the same kind of treatment as later art, and its study is confined to a handful of specialists in academic research. On the one hand this makes sense, since it may not be accurate to call it ‘art’, with all the connotations of the observer, the artist, the panoply of functions which we ascribe to art. But on the other hand more people should learn about and appreciate these extraordinary images. So here it is, the Panel of Horses from Chauvet Cave, painted circa 30,000 years ago.