Zwei bemalte Kunstobjekte aus dem Pavlovien von Krems-Wachtberg

Abstract

The Pavlovian site Krems-Wachtberg in Austria provided two objects for which an intentional application of colour demonstrates artistic expression. The stratigraphic context dates the finds to around 28,300-26,800 14C BP. Artefact WA-88015 is an elongated narrow object of mammoth ivory displaying eleven transversal parallel stripes in red colour on its inner concave surface. Potentially, the total number of stripes could have been larger as the piece is fragmented at both ends. Chemical colour analyses determined use of a ferrous pigment as colouring agent. The second object, WA-181748, is a fragment of a mammoth’s rib with red painting. The pictorial message is only partially preserved because it was truncated by the fragmentation. As with the ivory object, chemical colour analyses determined the use of a ferrous pigment. Utilisation of pigments is well-documented for the Gravettian in Central Europe, and objects with unstructured colour traces are found alongside raw material pieces. A comparative find with intentional application of colour and abstract design was unearthed at the Pavlovian site Předmostí in the Czech Republic. As with the two objects from Krems-Wachtberg, the pictorial field is only partially preserved. These artefacts show that painting of mobile objects formed part of the many-faceted concept of colour use in the Pavlovian of Central Europe.