Almost 20,000 years ago a Neolithic artist/hunter found a reindeer antler near La Madeleine, Dordogne, in France and fashioned it into a piece both practical and artistic. It was probably made into a spear thrower, a device that increases the distance and force of spear throwing. The end was carved to represent a great bison, lying on his side, licking the wound in his flank from the hunter’s spear. The composition of the carving and attention to detail is exemplary, and the artist’s intimate knowledge of the species is evident. All that remains today is the carving, an early hunter's version of creative visualization.

ID #:  NERW003F