Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All France Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Venus of Brassempouy

The Venus of Brassempouy

This prehistoric figurine is the oldest known realistic depiction of a human face.

Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The Venus of Brassempouy on display with other artifacts at the National Archaeological Museum.   Cangadoba/cc by-sa 4.0
The Venus of Brassempouy seen from a different angle.   Chatsam/cc by-sa 3.0
The Venus of Brassempouy figurine.   Elapied/public domain
The Venus of Brassempouy up close.   public domain
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This beautiful and haunting sculpture of a woman's head was carved from mammoth ivory during the Ice Age. At over 25,000 years old, the figurine is the oldest known realistic depiction of a human face.

The Venus of Brassempouy (also called the Lady of Brassempouy or “La Dame de Brassempouy”) was carved from a fragment of mammoth tusk and is estimated to have been made during the Upper Paleolithic period. It was interpreted as a woman based on the feminine shape of the chin and apparent hair or headdress. 

Nothing is known about the creator, and the meaning of this effigy remains a beguiling mystery lost in the eons of time that have passed. Indeed, the only thing that can be inferred is what the landscape in which her creator lived and died would have looked like. 

The European continent was in the grip of the last glacial period of the Ice Age at the time, and thus the landscape would have been covered in sheets of ice for as far as the eye could see. The climate would have been brutally cold for the sparse human populations which clung on to survival in the refuge of caves, swaddled in the fur skins of animals and huddled around campfires to keep warm. But not even in the caves were people truly safe, and they would have had to contend and compete with large and ferocious predatory species such as the cave bear, cave hyena, and cave lion, which would have looked on humans as easy prey. Meanwhile, the search for food likely meant hunting formidable beasts capable of causing fatal injuries, such as the woolly mammoth, wooly rhinocerous, bison, or the equally dangerous strategy of scaring off cave lions or wolves from their kills to scavange on leftovers.  

It's a wonder such a beautiful figurine was sculpted amid these living conditions, and all the more remarkable that it's been preserved over the millennia. The figurine was discovered in a cave known as la Grotte du Pape in the village of Brassempouy in 1894. It is now housed at the Musée des Antiquités Nationales (National Archaeological Museum) in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, just outside of Paris.

Related Tags

Art Sculptures Prehistoric History Culture Museums Archaeology

Know Before You Go

The original Venus de Brassempouy is kept at the Musée des Antiquités Nationales. In order to protect it from the elements it is not on permanent display, but a cast of the sculpture can be seen. Another cast on display at the La Maison de la Dame à Brassempouy in the village where the figurine was discovered.

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Edited By

Meg

  • Meg

Published

November 29, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
The Venus of Brassempouy
Château-Place Charles de Gaulle
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
France
48.897843, 2.095991
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Frieze of Lions

Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

miles away

The Standing Stones House

Louveciennes, France

miles away

The Désert de Retz

Chambourcy, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Saint-Germain-en-Laye

France

Places 2

Nearby Places

Frieze of Lions

Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

miles away

The Standing Stones House

Louveciennes, France

miles away

The Désert de Retz

Chambourcy, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Saint-Germain-en-Laye

France

Places 2

Related Places

  • One of the Olmec stone heads believed to depict ancient kings.

    Xalapa, Mexico

    Xalapa Museum of Anthropology

    The largest collection of artifacts from the Olmec civilization, the mother culture of Mesoamerica.

  • The museum entrance.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Museo Dolores Olmedo

    This extraordinary art museum is like a secret world on the edge of Mexico City.

  • Guangfulin Relics Park.

    Shanghai, China

    Guangfulin Relics Park

    This theme park presents 5,000 years of Shanghai history and includes a "sunken" exhibition hall.

  • Bull sculpture by Anders Bundgaard at Thingbæk.

    Skørping, Denmark

    Thingbæk Kalkminer

    An old limestone mine transformed into a beautiful and unusual sculpture museum.

  • Detail of the engraved bone.

    Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

    Frieze of Lions

    This pair of running lions engraved on animal bone is one of the earliest artistic depictions of big cats.

  • The Roman theater seen from Amman Citadel.

    Amman, Jordan

    Roman Theater of Amman

    This exceptionally well-preserved ancient marvel also houses a small museum dedicated to Jordanian folk tradition.

  • Hoa Hakananai’a.

    London, England

    Hoa Hakananai'a

    The "lost friend” is the most famous of the six moai statues that were removed from Easter Island.

  • The eerie gaze of the Lady of Elche.

    Madrid, Spain

    The Lady of Elche

    An iconic and controversial ancient Iberian funerary urn with a hauntingly penetrating gaze.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.