dAf 75
FRITZ Carole
La gravure dans l'art mobilier magdalénien
Du geste à la représentation
In this work based on her doctoral thesis, Carole Fritz presents the remarkable contribution that observation with a scanning electron microscope brings to the study of engraving in Magdalenian portable art. This original and rigorous scientific approach opens up particularly promising paths of research. A corpus of sixty objects made of bone and antler, found at eight middle and upper Magdalenian sites in the area bounded by the Pyrénées, the Gironde estuary and the
On the basis of this analysis, backed by a previously unpublished and quite exceptional iconography, the author proposes fresh thinking on the artistic gestures of the Magdalenian period, on the operational processes corresponding to mental patterns and collective practices, on the modalities of acquisition and transmission of know-how and skiIls, and ultimately, on the existence of a thought-out artistic phenomenon in the societies of this epoch.
Abstract
Abstract
Chapter 1 : Palaeolithic art and the historical role of technical studies
Understanding the creative process, that is to say the outcome of the encounter between an artist, his/her skills and a material, is a subject which has inspired any number of studies. Palaeolithic portable art is no exception. While the first studies of the art of this period hark back to the late 19th century, it was not until the early 20th century that the techniques used to produce portable art objects were taken into consideration, leading to the conception of transcultural stylistic trends. The history of this research is the focus of this chapter, which also presents an overview of the most recent studies in this domain, emphasising in particular the importance of experimentation encompassing the advances of microscopic observation.
Chapter 2 : Methods and experimentation
Our initial examination of the archaeological artefacts enabled us to formulate questions concerning the genesis of the engravings. To answer these questions, we assumed as a working hypothesis that the palaeolithic markings could be experimentally reproduced. Using a high level of magnification obtained with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), we can propose a dynamic interpretation of the gestures involved.
Before initiating the experiments, the structure of the raw materials was studied, so as to better understand the mechanical interaction between the bone surfaces and the flint tools. This made it easier to interpret the phenomena encountered.
The experiments were carried out using present-day samples of bony material covering a representative range of support materials employed in palaeolithic artefacts (ox bone, bird bone, reindeer antler…). On the basis of this work, executed under precise and controlled conditions, a corpus of microscopic stigmata was built up, constituting a database for the study of the original artefacts. The field of study was thus extended to all micromarkings produced in the material by a tool.
Comparing the experimental data and the observations obtained under microscope, the engraved line appears as a succession of events engendered by the tool and faithfully recorded at the surface of the material. By using a specific lexicon, the observed phenomena can be described, from the first impact of the tool to the engraver's last gesture.
Chapter 3 : Description of the corpus
The corpus of the study is for the most part taken from Magdalenian culture (middle and upper phases), because this period offers a range of objects and multiple facets that allow researchers to make qualitative and quantitative choices. The sites used in this work are representative of the broad south-western region of
The sample assembled also illustrates the morphological diversity of the materials used in portable art, from a fragment of a rib to bird bone, from the hyoid bone to miniature bony blades. The subjects depict many species (reindeer, horses, buffalo, does, stags, fish, birds…) and indeterminate animals, not to mention simple and complex geometric signs. A total of 60 artefacts were analysed, and the data for each object recorded in a standard description form.
Each figure (animal or abstract) was broken down into the component markings observed with the SEM. All segments were photographed during this phase. These micrographs made up our compendium of iconographic reference data on techniques, covering for example the different categories of gestures and their marks, or superimposition of lines. These images are more than an illustration, they constitute one of the fundamental pillars supporting the argumentation developed in our final overview. Whenever necessary and physically possible (depending on the size of the object, i.e. in 26 instances), the separate prints were assembled to form a montage, thus furnishing a broader view of the surface studied and the dynamics of the gesture involved.
Chapter 4 : Analysis of microscopic observations
The findings described in this chapter are based on an initial examination of microscopic observations, revealing some general features. Analysis of the animal figures shows that the formal construction follows a pattern based on two complementary concepts: the contour which outlines the figure, and the internal attributes that give it its specific nature. These graphic elements are broken down and implemented according to a process shared by all the Magdalenian groups in south-western
These observations are equally applicable to geometric motifs, depending on their position both on the physical material and on the animal. They are treated as internal attributes if they are superimposed or integrated into the animals, and as autonomous contours when they are placed outside the silhouettes.
Technically, no distinction was observed between figurative and geometric motifs. They are treated in equivalent terms, and therefore should be regarded in like fashion.
In keeping with the archaeological context of the discovery, a specific analysis of the Labastide indented contours leads to the deduction that the 18 mountain goat (chamois) heads were produced as a series, i.e. within the same temporal and spatial framework. In contrast, the Mas-d'Azil specimens are the work of different hands, but show signs of recourse to more widespread conventions of the Magdalene period.
Chapter 5 : The contribution of microscopic observations: description of findings
This chapter aims to establish a model of the processes implemented in creating a portable artefact, via an attempt to reconstitute the social context surrounding this activity using the notion of "chaîne opératoire" involved in engraving on bone. The engravers' gestures can be broken down and their « moments of decision » identified, from the preparation of the surface to the final execution of the engraving.
Chapter 6 : The system of techniques in portable art
The successful co-ordination of the different phases involved in creating the artefacts also points to a prior acquisition of empirical and more specialised knowledge. Some of these skills were possessed by the group as a whole, and others better known to individuals who were entrusted with the know-how of artistic production. We therefore formulate the hypothesis that one or more forms of technical and artistic apprenticeship existed in Magdalenian societies, and that the corresponding skills had to be acquired before a work could be executed.
The second part of this chapter is devoted to characterisation of these apprenticeships.
Chapter 7 : Conclusions and perspectives
The findings and observations of this study, which remain to be broadened to a larger corpus of artefacts, broach the question of the transmission of technical and artistic knowledge in Magdalenian society. The initial conclusions open up the perspective of a notion of « style » on the scale of regional artistic centres, and raise the question of the dissemination of works that embody a fundamental part of Magdalene culture.
