The Venus of Willendorf
(Woman from willendorf)
Venus of Willendorf
Photo: Don Hitchcock 2008, Pentax
Source: Original in the Vienna
Natural History Museum
Brief Description
Willendorf had already been known as a Palaeolithic site for over 20 years when, in 1908, systematic excavations by
Szombathy, Bayer and Obermaier began. The figurine named variously as “woman from willendorf” & “Venus of
Willendorf” was found by a worker on 7th August 1908 in the presence of Josef Bayer.
The figures fall under an umbrella class known as Venus figurines, and have been found to be made of a variety of
materials such as stone, wood, ivory and clay and even antlers and bone.
They are examples of Aurignacian art, being made in the Aurignacian period, and come in various shapes and sizes.
Some are obese, some thin, but all seem to be of pregnant women. Aurignacian tools showed a strong preference for
blades and points.
Structure:The figure is made of oolitic limestone, and was covered with a thick layer of red ochre when found .
(presumably “painted” with it, as some believe).
Oolitic limestone is not native to the area and so it must have been transported, and obviously the carving was not
done locally.
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The Venus of Willendorf
(Woman from willendorf)
The representation is supposed to be a realistic depiction of feminine obesity.
The figure is dated at 24,000-22,000 BCE, and is 43/8 inches (11.1 cm) high, in Aurignacian loess deposit, about 30
meters above the water level of the Danube river near Willendorf, Austria.
The figure appears to be looking down at its stomach. The navel is a natural depression in the stone and not a cut
one.
The face and feet are not detailed, as most probably those areas were not main object of focus. The hands rest on the
breasts and are thin and small and with fingers.
The hair is portrayed as curls (like the Indian Buddha), and are not spiral but 7 concentric rings encircling the head.
The top is a floral center, indicating to some that the whole thing may be a representation of a wig or basket worn
over the head. The pubis is depicted a bit unnaturally but clearly, indicating fertility may have been the objective
behind the making of the figurine.
Probable Uses:Since in addition to a short life expectancy, prehistoric women also were specially at risk in their child bearing
ages, that is in their 20s, obesity as observed in the figurine, was very rare as its onset is in ages after menopause.
Plus the diet of the population then was lean animals, devoid of much fat.
Therefore some people believe that since body fat increased chances of survival during times of deprivation, obesity
may have been something to be revered. The figurine may thus been used as a talisman in a world where deaths due
to obstetric problems were common.
Others have proposed that the figure may have been a fertility goddess.
Anthropologists have begun to agree that the figurines are found over a vast area between western France and
western Russia, and since this distance is too great for one tribe to cover, these figures must have been used by many
tribes and often even traded, as a sign of goodwill.
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The Venus of Willendorf
(Woman from willendorf)
References:Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, "Women in Prehistory:Venus of Willendorf
Venus figures from the Stone Age - The Venus of Willendorf
The Origin and Significance of Anthropomorphic Goddess Figurines with Particular Emphasis on The Venus of
Willendorf, Stephen R. Berlant
URLs:http://donsmaps.com/willendorf.html
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/willendorfdiscovery.html
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/artifacts/venusfigurines.html
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