Bruniquel Leaping Horse Pen

The site of Bruniquel, in Tarn-et-Garonne, has been known since the 19th century for its Magdalenian deposits. Four prehistoric shelters are located at the foot of the cliff surrounding Bruniquel Castle, on the banks of the Aveyron River.

In 1947, in the Montastruc rock shelter, prehistorian Bernard Bétirac resumed excavations. He unearthed five Magdalenian layers, two of which were rich in bone industry and portable art. In one of these two rich levels, he discovered a magnificent Magdalenian art object carved from reindeer antler. The stem is perforated with a buttonhole-shaped hole and engraved with comma-shaped lines grouped in pairs. The object itself, carved in the round, represents a horse in a jumping position.

It literally leaps, its front legs folded against its chest, its hind legs extended. The hind legs, sculpted in relief along the stem of the object, even seem to merge with it. The extension of the body and head gives an impression of effort, of momentum, further accentuated by the contraction of the chest muscles. The Magdalenian artist knew how to take advantage of the curvature of the reindeer antler to depict an animal and make it dynamic. In addition, the details of the horse's anatomy are very numerous: the nostrils, the eyes, the ears but also the mane, the hooves, the tail and the coat, at the level of the thighs, the belly and the chest.

Henri Delporte, former director of the National Archaeology Museum, said of this object: "It is one of the most magnificent works of Paleolithic art."

Due to its general shape and long stem, the "Leaping Horse" of Bruniquel has long been considered a propulsor, that is to say
say a throwing weapon that is used to launch projectiles, such as spears or harpoons. But the absence of a support device, such as a hook, does not allow this hypothesis to be proven.