Gravettian Anthropomorphic Figurines : Tools, Techniques and Gestures
Microscopic and experimental analysis reveal characteristic stigmata of techniques of gouging, scraping, abrading and incising in the production of the Grimaldi figurines (Figure 11). The redundancy with which these techniques are applied contributes to a remarkable consistency in breast and abdominal form, as well as hair treatment. Technical differences between ivory and soft stone (chlorite/steatite/serpentine) sculpting at Grimaldi and more-or-less contemporaneous Russian sites (where ivory and marl predominate) could not be clearer. The Russian female figures show a predominance of gouging and especially abrasion allowing for much smoother contours than the highly incised and much more angular Grimaldi women.
However, the forming of the figurines is only part of the story. There is also clear evidence for burnishing, polishing and, seemingly, glazing (Figure 12). These latter techniques produce visual and, once again, tactile qualities not producable by stone tools alone. Both polished ivory and polished/glazed serpentine have very special tactile qualities that may speak to one of the sensory means by which the figurines were experienced (White 1996b). Moreover, the process of heating talc dramatically deepens its raw color throughout its thickness.
