VENUS OF WILLENDORF: DISCOVERY, DATING, MATERIAL, WHAT IT REPRESENTS - ART - 2025

Venus of Willendorf is a figure of art that is over 25,000 years old. It is one of the many pieces that exist of Venus, but this has special importance since it is considered the oldest of all.

It is valued as a piece of great beauty. In it you can see an obese person, female and naked. Its discovery occurred at the beginning of the 20th century in Austria, in the middle of an archaeological excavation.

Source: Anagoria, via Wikimedia Commons.

Today, the Venus piece is in a museum in Vienna. In 2008 the 100th anniversary of its discovery in the vicinity of the Danube was celebrated and for that reason a postage stamp was made with the image of this statuette.

The reasons for its creation are not known but, from similar works (there are about 150 figures on Venus), it is known that it was a statuette linked to fertility.

Discovery

The figure of Venus de Willendorf was found in 1908. It happened while carrying out an archaeological mission commanded by Josef Szombathy (of Austrian origin), the German Hugo Obermaier and the also Austrian Josef Bayer. Although the discovery is granted to Szombathy.

The excavation site is near the town of Willendorf, south of Vienna. It is an area that had been divided into seven different sections.

At first, the dating of the small sculpture was about 10,000 years old but, as we will see below, this dating has been extended with subsequent studies.

Other Venus

More sculptures have appeared in other parts of the world that have been associated with Venus over the years. Sites in France, Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy have been just some of the sites where these archaeological finds took place.

Why are all the figures associated with Venus? Although there are characteristics that differentiate them, they all share some traits. All figures represent a woman who is pregnant and resemble a person with obesity.

In addition, some feminine characteristics are well defined. For example, the bust is usually large. In addition, the mount of Venus is very marked. The upper limbs are usually small and the feet have a pointed shape. Furthermore, these figures also have no faces.

Historians have made a great number of analyzes on the meanings of these figures. The most accepted and repeated by all is that they talk about fertility and the abundance of things.

Dating

To determine the year of creation of the Venus of Willendorf, the studies are based on the analysis of the material with which the statuette was made. It was sculpted with a piece of limestone.

The only date that is known with certainty is the discovery of the Venus of Willendorf, which occurred in 1908. At that time there was talk of a piece created 10,000 years earlier. Then, in the 70s, its age was estimated at 20,000 years. Finally, in the 90s it rose to more than 25,000 years because of the rock remains found in the figure.

This last estimate is similar to the one made of other similar figures found in other archaeological sites on the European continent.

A reading that can be made of this dating is that the female figure was very relevant throughout the Upper Paleolithic era.

This dating places the Venus of Willendorf as the oldest figure that makes reference to this goddess, giving it special relevance. In any case, it should not be forgotten that there are other equally or more famous sculptures, such as the Venus de Milo.

It is known that during the Paleolithic period (which is divided into lower, middle and upper) writing did not exist. That is one of the reasons why there are no records that speak of these figures.

Denomination

Most likely, those who created this figure thousands of years ago did not call it Venus. This term was attributed to him by the goddess of Roman mythology who is associated with beauty and fertility. In turn, the term Willendorf has to do with the area in which the statuette was found.

These female figures were called Venus by Paul Hurault, a French archaeologist who found one of these sculptures in the mid-19th century. Hurault called his figure Venus impudent. The name was a mockery of the Venuses that were made during the classical period.

Description

The Venus of Willendorf is a figure that has a human shape, specifically of a female person. It represents an obese woman, with a pronounced belly and a large bust.

In terms of its measurements, this statue is very small. It is just over 11 centimeters tall and almost 6 wide, with 4.5 centimeters deep.

This statuette was created using a single piece of limestone that was later stained ocher.

The arms of this representation of Venus are hardly noticeable. It is supported on the breasts of the figure. The face does not have any features since the head is covered by some kind of hairstyle.

The navel is well defined, as is the pubis. The legs maintain the plump appearance of the rest of the figure. The knees are joined and it has no feet, although it has not been possible to determine if it is because they were lost over the years or because the statuette reaches the ankles.

Fabrication material

This Venus was sculpted using a single limestone, specifically of the oolithic type. This means that it is a rock that is made up of very small balls that are saturated with calcium carbonate. These were very common compounds in the oceans during ancient times.

In Austria several areas have been discovered where limestone can be found. But nowhere does it have the same oolitic characteristics of the Venus of Willendorf.

Over the years, one of the objectives of the researchers was to discover the place of origin of the stone with which the Venus of Willendorf was made. That way you could know a little more about the art piece.

This mission took the scholars to Moravia, in the Czech Republic. In this area you can find several places of oolitic limestone. Sites to the north, in Sternberg, and to the south, in Pálava, were ruled out. The composition of the limestone in these areas was not very usable.

On the other hand, in Brno the researchers found similarities between the limestone that was there and that used to sculpt the Venus of Willendorf. The purity values ​​are similar, as is the size of the oolites present.

These indications have led us to believe that the material to create the statuette that later appeared in Austria was born in that area.

What does the Venus of Willendorf represent?

A discovery like this Venus is considered of great value to understand deciphering the lifestyle and beliefs of past civilizations, especially in times when information is minimal.

Although it has been associated with Venus and fertility for years, and is undoubtedly the most repeated and accepted hypothesis, some experts are not sure about its meaning or the purpose it served when it was created. Lack of data has made the Venus of Willendorf one of the most enigmatic of all time.

One of the hypotheses is that this artistic piece is an amulet or an object that could be placed on the altars as a promise. The idea that it was worshiped for fertility was maintained.

The small size of the Venus of Willendorf (11 centimeters high) has led historians to believe that the figure was created with the aim of being easily transported from town to town. This would support the theory that it was created as an amulet.

There is also the option that the piece, due to its large body, made reference to people of an important social level. In this sense, it would be a figure that represents prosperity. Although there are those who have associated the Venus of Willendorf with Mother Earth.

In ancient times, one of the most common things was to worship beauty. This is also one of the meanings that the Venus of Willendorf is most associated with. Although it has nothing to do with the classic vision that existed on beauty, where proportion was discussed.

The Venus of Willendorf, by showing an obese woman and without any proportion between the parts of her body, shows a different style. It has more to do with the ideas that the inhabitants of the Upper Palaeolithic had, in which beauty had a lot to do with the importance given to women and especially mothers.

References

1. Eckdahl, T. (2018). Obesity: The Venus of Willendorf.: Momentum press.
2. Gardner, H., Kleiner, F. and Mamiya, C. (2005). Gardner's art through the ages. Belmont, CA: Thomson / Wadsworth.
3. Liu, A. (2011). Restoring our bodies, reclaiming our lives. Boston: Trumpeter.
4. Russell, J. and Cohn, R. (2012). Venus of Willendorf. Book on Demand.
5. Skye, M. (2010). Goddess aloud: Transforming Your World Through Rituals & Mantras. Woodbury, Minn.: Llewellyn.