LASCAUX CAVES

My Trip To The Lascaux Caves

By Tyler Shrader

THE UNICORN

As soon as one enters the Rotunda, the gaze is drawn to an oddly-shaped animal – the Unicorn. It is the first animal in the cave, and appears to be pushing all the animals on this wall

towards the back of the gallery. It has an undulating appearance, leading one to think that this might be a depiction

of a feline, with its square head, protruding withers, swollen belly and strong paws.

THE TWO RED COWSThe black coat of the Great Black Bull partially

conceals two silhouettes of cows. They are graphically similar to the Panel of the Red Cows at the entrance to the Axial Gallery, in particular the Cow with Collar. The

creation of the two cows under discussion predates that of the Great Black Bull.

HEAD OF A COWThe dimensions of the animal figures vary quite

considerably. Although a consistent scale is maintained within a group of the same

animals, this is not at all the case when various species are depicted next to each other.

THE CROSSED BISONThis bison diptych ends the long series of panels on the left-hand wall. What makes it unique is not only the disposition of the figures – mirror images of two male bison – but also the accumulation of graphic

conventions that have been applied in order to accentuate the feeling of flight.

The Swimming Stags

This composition contains the only figures on the right-hand wall. We are in the presence of five heads of stags, turned towards the back of the gallery. A horse and a line of dots are discretely blended into the centre of the panel.

Hut in a Tree

It was André Glory who nicknamed this geometric figure "Hut in a Tree", which is reminiscent of interpretation attempts based on comparative ethnographic studies.

Small head of a horse

Most of the animal figures in the Apse are medium- and large-sized. Nevertheless, there are exceptions, such as this small, isolated horse's head, which is barely 10 cm long.

Source page

http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=00.xml