Venus of Willendorf Charm

ch1279

Measures 24 mm x 10 mm. Charm is 3-D and wonderfully detailed. Pewter (safe from lead, cadmium, and nickel hazards). Why in times like these would anyone want a charm that portrays the buxom and naked Venus of Willendorf in miniature.   The original  limestone statue was carved by human beings 30,000 years ago. Our ancestor's portrait of our ancestors, most likely made as well as modeled  by a woman, say some scholars,  She is one of the oldest if not the oldest surviving evidence of human creativity and crafts(wo)menship.  The Willendorf Venus can be seen in the beginning chapters of scores of art history books and in the early slides in Art History 101 courses. She begins art history. 

Over the centuries many have speculated on her deeper meaning. Fertility, womanhood, erotic dreams, many others. For me, I see prosperity and health. She is not starving. Far from it. She is a zaftig woman, obese but certainly not morbidly so. Her breasts are full and she is ready to nourish the next generation.  Prosperity, freedom from famine, provided the leisure to create art, which might help explain the timing of this masterpiece. Willendorf incidentally, is an Austrian town where the statue was found. But it was not made there.  The limestone with the ochre finish cannot be found in Willendorf. The original statuettes fit into the palm of the hand and may have been  important elements of early international, or rather inter-tribal, trade. Anyway, to answer the question of why now, the Willendorf Venus reminds us of human health, social prosperity and art. 

Supplies limited


Category: Symbols Charms

Type: Charms


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