This is the first time I’ve seen a photo of the top of her head and yes, it definitely brings to mind a coiled basket. I’ve woven baskets, including coiled ones, and the center starting point shown is identical and unlike braids.
Something about them doesn’t strike me as fertility objects. One would expect the pregnant belly to be preeminent, not the other curves. Was the typical woman of that era so well fed? Or just the opposite? Was Venus perhaps symbolic of abundant harvests?
If the “hair” or hat is woven, would we conclude that women or girls carved these? Why not? Have others always assumed men did the carving? Why?
I read an article that suggested the proportions of the figure were the result of a personal POV when executing the sculpting. The woman was carving from personal observations looking down at her own body.
Also, they had put forward the possibility that the headgear was possible a type of crochet, but I think the basket weaving is a better match.
That’s what I was thinking while reading this! I believe that the invisiblization women have suffered throughout art history has led us to associate art and any form of producing culture with men. The fact that these figurines were named Venuses proves it: as a society, we think women can only be muses, passive symbols of beauty, but never creators. And we didn’t even consider, until recently, that perhaps these figures were made by women themselves, and that female nudity doesn’t have to be inherently sexual.
Commenting so that I see more posts about historical fashion/textile history. I hope you're able to continue dismantling your bias that women being important means women doing male roles. How can a community live without food, clothes, medicine & child-rearing? This is what makes us powerful! Without women spinning & weaving we would not have a massive sails that made ancient sea-fairing & trade possible. Without women we would not have the invention of the electric weaving loom.
I really recommend reading The Fabric of Civilization- Virgina Postrel.
It talks about the history of textiles and how they've shaped our world from paleoithic to how textiles may carry us into the future.
We do forget that a lot of our past is interpreted by the recorders viewpoint, “history is written by the winners” and through a lens that is gender bias.
We really don’t know and scientists (who until recently were predominantly male) were interpreting our distant past through their own perspective. Thank you
The first time I saw the Venus was in a huge book, which I own, called “The Great Mother” by Erich Neumann, a Jungian analyst who championed a revival of The Feminine. He discusses all different aspects of that archetype. I can’t describe everything he said here in a Note, but the way Jungians have approached the archetype of the Feminine attracted many talented, erudite, brilliant female analysts, who have written volumes on the Feminine in its many aspects that give a richness to female experience I have never found anywhere else.
Very Interesting - I have never thought that was a different weight or physique standard - because I always thought they were pregnant(?) I mean they all look like they are weeks away from giving birth to me. Average size women look like this at 40
Fantastic article! Sally Pointer has hypothesized that the head covering was a type of hand made plant cordage made into looped “netting” which looks similar. But yes that spiral start looks more like coiling. Fascinating!
Wow! I need to get that book The Invisible Sex. I’ve not heard that hypothesis before about the basket weave on the head, but it makes sense and I can see that as a possibility. I actually imagined that was hair braids wound around the head. The braid being an early form of weaving, and I was reading other day about Slavic customs in relation to how they wore their hair, braids were a protective motif but also an indicator of a stage in a woman’s life, prepubescent, puberty/ menstruation and then when she was married etc
They would have two braids for instance when married, and often wound them around the head as less maintenance in terms of washing it as often, still looks tidy while they go about their day to day chores
I wonder if "The working assumption is that one does not carve art out of imported or valuable material just to represent an everyday person in everyday clothes" ...is because there's evidence of many histories having this in common or it is because europeans wouldn't do so and therefore most historians were taught that it is an unrealistic expectation that other cultures would use "expensive" materials to represent the "regular"
Very true, it is the assumption I’ve read in different interpretations but yes it’s totally possible that regular people or a specific individual is being represented!
Have you ever come across the theory of her lying in water? Unfortunately I can’t find anymore where I stumbled upon this but it really struck me as her posture would work well lying, and it would explain why her feet are not visible, being immersed in water.. but now with the woven hat theory hmmm it’s just all so intriguing!!
I have rendered versions of Venus of Willendorf in molten glass a few times and studied her since I was a child. She always represented confident leadership to me. She appeared to rule her world and likely worshipped. The idea that she was a “fertility figure” I always felt was a male construct. Her hair I always figured was corn rowed but a woven cap seems plausible. I always imagined her face looked downward from a high/safe place in the home.
Yes. I always thought it was a hat rather than some weird hairdo. And the fat body would definitely have been more fertile and able to survive. After that, there is only speculation and interpretation.
Interestingly, some new evidence from Southern Britain and the Iron Age Durotriges suggests a matriarchal society. This does rather rehabilitate Boudicca and her fight against the Romans. I could go on but, as they say, that’s for another article.
This is the first time I’ve seen a photo of the top of her head and yes, it definitely brings to mind a coiled basket. I’ve woven baskets, including coiled ones, and the center starting point shown is identical and unlike braids.
Something about them doesn’t strike me as fertility objects. One would expect the pregnant belly to be preeminent, not the other curves. Was the typical woman of that era so well fed? Or just the opposite? Was Venus perhaps symbolic of abundant harvests?
If the “hair” or hat is woven, would we conclude that women or girls carved these? Why not? Have others always assumed men did the carving? Why?
I read an article that suggested the proportions of the figure were the result of a personal POV when executing the sculpting. The woman was carving from personal observations looking down at her own body.
Also, they had put forward the possibility that the headgear was possible a type of crochet, but I think the basket weaving is a better match.
That’s what I was thinking while reading this! I believe that the invisiblization women have suffered throughout art history has led us to associate art and any form of producing culture with men. The fact that these figurines were named Venuses proves it: as a society, we think women can only be muses, passive symbols of beauty, but never creators. And we didn’t even consider, until recently, that perhaps these figures were made by women themselves, and that female nudity doesn’t have to be inherently sexual.
I just typed this out to someone else, scrolled down and saw your comment! I’ve never seen anyone else reference that take on it, it’s one of my favs!
Commenting so that I see more posts about historical fashion/textile history. I hope you're able to continue dismantling your bias that women being important means women doing male roles. How can a community live without food, clothes, medicine & child-rearing? This is what makes us powerful! Without women spinning & weaving we would not have a massive sails that made ancient sea-fairing & trade possible. Without women we would not have the invention of the electric weaving loom.
I really recommend reading The Fabric of Civilization- Virgina Postrel.
It talks about the history of textiles and how they've shaped our world from paleoithic to how textiles may carry us into the future.
We do forget that a lot of our past is interpreted by the recorders viewpoint, “history is written by the winners” and through a lens that is gender bias.
We really don’t know and scientists (who until recently were predominantly male) were interpreting our distant past through their own perspective. Thank you
The first time I saw the Venus was in a huge book, which I own, called “The Great Mother” by Erich Neumann, a Jungian analyst who championed a revival of The Feminine. He discusses all different aspects of that archetype. I can’t describe everything he said here in a Note, but the way Jungians have approached the archetype of the Feminine attracted many talented, erudite, brilliant female analysts, who have written volumes on the Feminine in its many aspects that give a richness to female experience I have never found anywhere else.
Very Interesting - I have never thought that was a different weight or physique standard - because I always thought they were pregnant(?) I mean they all look like they are weeks away from giving birth to me. Average size women look like this at 40
Weeks.
Yes I agree that she likely represents a pregnant woman!!
Fantastic article! Sally Pointer has hypothesized that the head covering was a type of hand made plant cordage made into looped “netting” which looks similar. But yes that spiral start looks more like coiling. Fascinating!
Thank you! And I need to look into that, that’s super interesting too!
Wow! I need to get that book The Invisible Sex. I’ve not heard that hypothesis before about the basket weave on the head, but it makes sense and I can see that as a possibility. I actually imagined that was hair braids wound around the head. The braid being an early form of weaving, and I was reading other day about Slavic customs in relation to how they wore their hair, braids were a protective motif but also an indicator of a stage in a woman’s life, prepubescent, puberty/ menstruation and then when she was married etc
They would have two braids for instance when married, and often wound them around the head as less maintenance in terms of washing it as often, still looks tidy while they go about their day to day chores
I wonder if "The working assumption is that one does not carve art out of imported or valuable material just to represent an everyday person in everyday clothes" ...is because there's evidence of many histories having this in common or it is because europeans wouldn't do so and therefore most historians were taught that it is an unrealistic expectation that other cultures would use "expensive" materials to represent the "regular"
Very true, it is the assumption I’ve read in different interpretations but yes it’s totally possible that regular people or a specific individual is being represented!
I learned in art class in Berkeley in the 60s that the texture the top represented a woman’s nipple. So related to the fertility she represents.
Whoa, there are so many different interpretations!! That’s very interesting
Thank you for sharing this! I always assumed it was similar to the Buddha's head.
Have you ever come across the theory of her lying in water? Unfortunately I can’t find anymore where I stumbled upon this but it really struck me as her posture would work well lying, and it would explain why her feet are not visible, being immersed in water.. but now with the woven hat theory hmmm it’s just all so intriguing!!
I love all the little textile clues we can get from carvings -- such an intricate thing to go through the effort to depict! So fascinating!
I love this, thank you for writing it! I would love to read an article about ancient third genders as well!
I have rendered versions of Venus of Willendorf in molten glass a few times and studied her since I was a child. She always represented confident leadership to me. She appeared to rule her world and likely worshipped. The idea that she was a “fertility figure” I always felt was a male construct. Her hair I always figured was corn rowed but a woven cap seems plausible. I always imagined her face looked downward from a high/safe place in the home.
Wonderful post. Thank you
Yes. I always thought it was a hat rather than some weird hairdo. And the fat body would definitely have been more fertile and able to survive. After that, there is only speculation and interpretation.
Interestingly, some new evidence from Southern Britain and the Iron Age Durotriges suggests a matriarchal society. This does rather rehabilitate Boudicca and her fight against the Romans. I could go on but, as they say, that’s for another article.
This is a really compelling view of the possible/probable importance of makers in early society.