Pech Merle Horses Stone Ornament
This is a small reproduction of one of the nearly life size horse paintings from the beautiful cave of Pech-Merle in the Lot valley of France. Although prehistoric, this horse is painted in a surprisingly modern abstract way. My idea was to make it look as it did freshly painted 20,000 years ago. Iron oxide red and black manganese paint are blown onto stone, then I hand paint details, recreating in miniature the art techniques of the first artists. The earth-based paints I use are light-fast and, with care, should last another 20,000 years!
About the ornament...
The stone is a slate with colors ranging from dark cream, to gold and terracotta. This ornament measures 4" wide by 2.75" high with a leather cord that extends up another 4.125".
The ornament is signed on the back to keep up the illusion of this being an ancient artifact. Painting on one side only. The ornament comes with an information card which gives a brief story about the art and techniques, and is wrapped in tissue inside an organza gift bag.