The Cave of Lascaux: The Final Photographs [Hardcover]

Mario Ruspoli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1987

208 pages. Includes text, photographs, drawings, maps, etc.. 12 7/8" X 10" X 1" clothbound.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The prehistoric cave in France's Dordogne region, with its 17,000-year-old animal paintings discovered accidentally in 1940, was sealed in 1963 due to deterioration in atmospheric conditions. Two decades later, television producer Ruspoli went underground to take the photographs that form the basis of this handsome, comprehensive book. The murals he recordedelegant renderings of animals in stately friezes, courting rituals and overlapping groupingsare here beautifully reproduced. The text elucidates the theory that the paintings were created as part of a paleolithic mythology, with Lascaux a religious sanctuary. Bolstering this, the author shows stenciled handprints, shamanistic human figures and arcane symbols (perhaps prewriting). He also includes an abundance of background information, including scientific data on both the animals and the artists. This is a fascinating and beautiful addition to the library of amateur anthropologist and art lover alike.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The author, who sadly died before this awe-inspiring book was published, headed a team which filmed and photographed the paintings and engravings from the cave at Lascaux (now closed to the public for reasons of conservation) at the request of the French Ministry of Culture, in order to create a cinematic record of the renowned Paleolithic site. Ruspoli describes this photographic project toward the end of his book. The book as a whole, however, is an extraordinary journey into the world of the hunters who painted and engraved the animals and symbols of Lascaux. Ruspoli's knowledge of prehistory and archaeology and his intimate awareness of the images gained by photographing the cave are combined with a magnificent "feel" for the civilization that produced the images. A splendid work of spiritual artistry.Joan W. Gartland, Detroit P.L.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First Edition edition (May 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810912678
• ISBN-13: 978-0810912670
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 10 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,249,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dazzling photographic record of Lascaux cave paintings, February 20, 2001

By 

"petersonreviews" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cave of Lascaux: The Final Photographs (Hardcover)

Thousands of visitors viewing the prehistoric paintings in the cave of Lascaux damaged them with moisture from their breath. Fungi began to grow on the paintings, threatening their destruction. So French authorities decided to seal the cave of Lascaux forever.

First, they allowed a final color photography expedition into the cave. This beautiful book displays 100 plates of the resulting color photographs. Also, it has more than 50 other illustrations. These include drawings of paintings and other symbols found in the cave, archeological plans and a map of other prehistoric cave sanctuaries found elsewhere in Spain and France. And, of course, there is an abundance of explanatory text.

This book is a visual delight.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit dated, but still valuable...., August 17, 2002

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Cave of Lascaux: The Final Photographs (Hardcover)

In LASCAUX: THE FINAL PHOTOGRAPHS, Maria Ruspoli, historian and television producer, says "underground Paleolithic sanctuaries were places not for living in but for initiation." Ruspoli produced a film about Lascaux, and his posthumous book includes a relatively recent version of the history of the period within which the famous caves were decorated, as well as still shots of the cave interior and his film crew at work. The book indicates the interior of Lascaux will never again be subjected to filming. As it was, it took several years to complete the film owing to the fragile nature of the cave

Ruspoli suggests Lascaux served as some sort of gathering place for Cro-Magnon humans for religious or magical activity. He says early Europeans would have found the cave an inhospitable dwelling place. He suggests the hunters who decorated the cave walls probably lived outside them in huts made from animal skins-just as reindeer hunters near the arctic circle do today. He notes the preserved impressions of adolescent feet found in the prehistoric floors at Niaux and suggests they may have been from the feet of children participating in some sort of coming-of-age ceremony. On the other hand, he says, they may merely reflect the fact that children never lose an opportunity to press their feet in mud. (For a more in-depth discussion of the possible ritual use see Paul Bahn's JOURNEY THROUGH THE ICE AGE).

Most of Ruspoli's book consists of text he apparently wrote, but included is an essay by Brigitte and Gilles Delluc entitled, "The Eye of the Hunter and the Genius of the Artist." Photographs by the Dellucs show limestone rocks the artist used as lamps and and oyster shell pigment containers. The Dellucs discuss the various paintings at Lascaux, including a mysterious unicorn.

Apparently, Ruspoli drew on material known to him prior to his death. The discovery of Chauvet was not included in this material. I don't think this omission detracts from the book, because understanding how historians and archeologists viewed and understood the people of the upper Paleolithic prior to the discovery of Chauvet can only help the reader appreciate the incredible discovery of Chauvet. Sadly, the pristine condition of the Chauvet Cave only underscores the damage from human intrusion at Lascaux.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, but a little too expensive, not comprehensive, August 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cave of Lascaux: The Final Photographs (Hardcover)

This book is now a little bit dated already. It reflects the state of scientific knowledge of more than 15 years ago, and a lot has changed in the meantime, such as the discovery of the
Cosquer and Chauvet caves. Nevertheless, it is the only
photographic documentation that is currently available on the
Lascaux paintings, and it is still an impressive book. The book
gives not only a survey of the cave and its paintings (not its
engravings, by the way!), but also discusses the life and living of the Magdalenian artists who created the paintings. Also, the animals depicted are discussed in great zoological detail. The scientific results and beliefs of A. Leroi-Gourhan and other well-known cave art experts are well reported and discussed. But what about the pictures? Some are really excellent, while others lack clarity, but, alas, many features of the cave are missing in the book, and, e.g., the "great black cow" shows only on the
cover wrapping of the book, but not inside. It is difficult to get a detailed idea about the composition of the paintings in the cave from the book. MANY more pictures would have been necessary.