Neanderthal Cave Art Discovered in Europe

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50 ancient paintings in 11 different caves were recently discovered in Spain, and further research has revealed they may be the work of Neanderthals. If so, the art dates back to the prehistoric times of our closest relatives who roamed Europe and Asia until 30,000 years ago.

Alistair Pike, the study’s lead author from the University of Bristol, said:

“This currently is Europe’s oldest dated art, by at least 4,000 years.”

The art discovered includes hand stencils that date back 37,300 years, as well as 40,800-year-old red discs.

Joao Zilhao of the University of Barcelona co-authored the study. He explained that the possibility of Neanderthals being Europe’s first cave artists is likely.

“We know that from the fact that they were burying their dead, that they were decorating bone and ivory tools with abstract markings, and from the fact that they were painting their bodies using sophisticated cosmetic recipes, in some instances, and that they were using objects of personal ornamentation,” said Zilhao. “We know they were doing this from at least 50,000 years ago, and in the case of burials from at least 100,000 years ago.”

Zilhao continued, stating that the discovery may challenge today’s accepted evolutionary history.

“We know from the Neanderthal Genome Project that four percent of the genes of present day Europeans are of Neanderthal origin. So perhaps we should start thinking of these people as the European brand of homo-sapiens, that were morphologically different from what we call modern humans in Africa, but they were sapien people as well.”

New Exhibit Explores How African Art Was Inspired By Astronomy

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The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art is preparing to launch a new exhibit focusing on the cultural astronomy of Africa, and its correlation with the nation’s contemporary and traditional arts.

The exhibit showcases the personal relationship between African people and the universe, as well as their connection to Earth, the sky, the moon, the sun and stars. More than 100 items are on display, revealing how African art is inspired by celestial phenomena like lightning and rainbows, too.

Christine Mullen Kreamer of the National Museum of African Art said: “This exhibition, many years in the making, is part of the museum’s series focusing on Africa’s contributions to the history of knowledge- in this case, knowledge about the heavens and how this knowledge informs the creation of spectacular works of art.”

She continued, “The project connects my lifelong fascination with sky-watching to the arts and cultures of Africa, which for decades have been my passion and the focus of my professional work.”

Aside from numerous ancient Egyptian and Nubian wood, stone a papyrus creations, the exhibit will also present 19th and 20th-century pieces made by artists from south of the Sahara. Works by contemporary artists inspired by the cosmos will also be displayed, such as including some by El Anatsui, Willem Boshoff, Gavin Jantjes, Karel Nel, Alexander ‘Skunder’ Boghossian, Romuald Hazoume and several others.

Getty Villa Launches New Ancient Sicilian Exhibit

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The Getty Villa is undoubtedly excited to launch a new exhibition called the Sanctuaries of Demeter and Persephone at Morgantina, which features 37 excavated objects from the ancient central Sicilian city.

The artifacts will be on display until January 21st of next year, on loan from the Museo Archeologico Regionale of Aidone. They include vases, oil lamps, terracotta deity figurines, bone clothes and hair pins, and a lead curse tablet.

Demeter and Persephone were worshipped as goddesses of agricultural fertility in ancient Sicily. Myth holds that Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, thus creating the change of seasons. In Roman history, Demeter is known as Ceres, and Roman images are featured in the exhibit as well, to showcase the divinities in both cultures.

“We are thrilled to have these unique objects from Morgantina- an excavation where generations of American archeologists were trained-on view for the first time in the United States at the Getty Museum,” said senior curator of antiquities Claire Lyons. “These loans represent the great benefits of collaboration, and help to share and preserve Sicily’s rich cultural heritage for future generations.”

Parco Archeologico di Morgantina director Enrico Caruso added, “With this special exhibition, we are very much excited to launch a new era of close collaboration between the Museum of Aidone, today part of the Archeological Park of Morgantina, an ancillary institute of the Sicilian Ministry of Culture and Sicilian Identity, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Thanks to this initiative, our reciprocal relationship will emerge strengthened and will be continually renewed in future projects, for fruitful academic and especially cultural exchanges.”

Ancient Stone Art Discovered in Brazil

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Photo from US News

Scientists excavating in Brazil have discovered what they believe to be the oldest rock engraving ever found. The finding indicates that humans may have inhabited the Americas 4,000 prior to what was previously believed.

According to University of Sao Paulo researchers, the anthropomorphic figure may be “the oldest figurative petroglyph ever found in the new world.” They also referred to it as the “earliest indisputable testimony of rock art in the Americas.”

The depiction was found in the Lapa do Santo rock in Brazil. The figure was “pecked into the bedrock” and consisted of “tri-digits” and a “C”shaped head.

One of the archeologists, Danilo Bernardo, wrote “When we found it, it was a great surprise. During our excavations, we never attempted to look for any rock art.”

The style of the etching is very different from other ancient art found in Argentina and Brazil, which lead scientists to conclude that the Clovis people were not in fact the first humans to live in the Western Hemisphere.

“The variability was impossible to be reached in a short span of time, suggesting the idea that the peopling of the New World occurred prior to the antiquity recognized by the Clovis model,” the archeologist explained.

Holter Museum of Art Opens New Exhibits

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This weekend, the Holter Museum of Art opened a new exhibit featuring rare bronze pieces from over 3,000 years ago in celebration of the museum’s 25th year.

The exhibit, called “Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands from the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation” comes alongside four other new exhibits at the Holter. The 85 artifacts were created by people of the Asian steppes and used by chieftains, shamans and horsemen.

According to Holter curator Yvonne Seng, the steppe artisans were the first to domesticate the horse. They were also one of the leading parties who traded along the Silk Road through Asia and Europe.

“It’s a huge honor,” Seng said of hosting the exhibit, which features items like ancient cauldrons used by shamans, yak-shaped belt buckles, intricate swords and knives and more.

Other exhibits opening include the gallery of life-size modern-day warriors in “Wanxin Zhang: A Ten Year Survey,” as well as “Horse and Rider,” “Shifting Perspectives,” and “Invite Your Demons to Tea.”

Seng said: “It’s exciting, it’s really exciting to have all these exhibits together… it will be a feast for the eye. I think it will be a great celebration for the 25th.”

Ancient Egypt Exhibit Opens in the Museum of Fine Arts

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Earlier this month, the Museum of Fine Arts opened an extraordinary exhibit on Ancient Egypt. The display shows the historical, artistic side of objects frequently seen in adventure movies, like mummies, mummy cases, limestone sphinxes and papyrus.

The exhibit, entitled “Art and Magic: Treasures from the Fondation Gandur Pour l’Art,” focuses on the “art and magic” of ancient Egypt and its fascinating history.

The exhibit premiered on December 17th, and will remain open to the public until the end of April.

“The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg is proud to bring these distinguished works of art to America,” Kent Lydecker, Museum Curator, said in a press release. “The quality of the objects will be a revelation to scholars and to the public.”

Egyptologist Dr. Bianchi was brought onto the exhibit’s team as a guest curator. He explained that the spirituality of the Egyptian nation is apparent in their art and design. Materials gathered for the exhibition were treated with special care, with priests and workers working together in the process. Some objects were even subjected to rituals before being moved to and from the quarry.

Ancient Art Studio Uncovered in South Africa

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Researchers believe they may have uncovered an ancient art studio in South Africa, having found two shells containing a primitive paint mixture from 100,000 years ago.

Found at Blombos Cave in Cape Town, the shells were found alongside various other tools, suggesting that the users were mixing flakes of ochre, an iron ore used to create red and yellow shades, with other compounds to create a liquid paste.

According to the study, “a bone was probably used to stir the mixture and to transfer some of the mixture out of the shell.”

The paint could have been ceremonial, decorative or protective, used perhaps on the body.

“Ochre may have been applied with symbolic intent as decoration on bodies and clothing during the Middle Stone Age,” explained Christopher Henshilwood, head of the study at the Institute for Human Evolution at the University of Witwatersrand.

“This discovery represents an important benchmark in the evolution of complex human cognition in that it shows that humans had the conceptual ability to source, combine and store substances that were then possibly used to enhance their social practices.”

Ancient Glass Pieces Found to Be Decorated with Gold Foil

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84 pieces of antique broken glassware were found under a Buddhist statue in 2004, in Kyoto’s Byodoin temple. Two days ago, on October 7th, temple authorities announced that they had originally been decorated with gold foil. This discovery is the first finding of gold-foil decoration on glassware in all of East Asia.

A glassware history researcher and part-time instructor at Tokai University, Akiko Inoue, analyzed the pieces, and concluded that the vessels must have had a special significance.

The fact that “they were treated so importantly even though they were broken pieces suggests the original vessels they came from may have had some special meaning,” Inoue said.

Experts believe that the original glass vessels were made through glassblowing, though with a more advanced technique than some other glass balls found alongside them. Basing their theory on both technique and technology, researchers concluded that the pieces were made between the 10th and 12th century in China, while the gold foil was likely added in Japan.

Now on display at the Hosho Museum, the pieces still present several mysteries. Yoshitaka Aruga, a professor of the Tokyo University of the Arts, said the patterns are “simple and pictorial.” He added that the pattern on the lid looks like it could signify trickling rain. “The patterns let us imagine ancient times,” he said.

Norihiko Ogura, a professor at the same university, said the design can be seen as the inner core of a flower, as well. “There are probably meanings to the designs and the fact that gold was used, but these and many other things, including technical questions like how they applied the gold leaf, are still mysteries,” he said.

Antique Dealer Estate for Sale

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One of the best known antiques dealers in Ireland recently passed away, leaving an enviable estate worth €5,836,08. Jill Cox operated the successful Beaufield Mews in south Dublin. More than 800 specialty items of hers were recently auctioned in Adam’s of St. Stephen’s Green.

Adam’s directors James O’Halloran and Stuart Cole both worked the marathon auction. As they told the Sunday Independent, “Jill was a very well-regarded and astute dealer who is perhaps best known as a specialist in Irish glass. This, however, only tells part of the story as she was equally enthusiastic about Irish silver, Staffordshire pottery figures, Irish furniture and Irish paintings and prints.”

The finest works at the auction included a Victorian Killarney-work Library Table that went for €8,500 and an Irish George IV yew wood cellarette that made €3,000. During the evening session the Irish paintings were put up for auction. Ena Douglas was the first to sell, making €6,600. A Daniel O’Neill’s painting “The Decision” made €26,000.

Upcoming Biennale des Antiquaries in Paris

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In a recent article, Defining Chic , published in the September issue of  Art & Auction Magazine, Simon Hewitt previewed  the upcoming Biennale des Antiquaries in Paris.  He explained that the participant list had been whittled down from 94 to 87, and that the auction space was designed by Agence Decoral and Patrick Bazanan.

He described the Oval Office replica that Kramer, the Parisian 17th and 18th century furniture dealer, had put  together for the event and he discussed the presence of modern art specialists this year.  There were, according to Mr. Hewitt, twice as many modern art specialists this year than there were dealers in the Old Master paintings..

He also described the eclectic mix at the fair, with highlights that ranged from the 3rd-2nd century B.C. Hellenistic bronze equestrian figure of Alexander the Great at Phoenix Ancient Art, to Renaissance of Yiddish Culture, which was a show of Kiev-based artists.