Monday Minstrel: spotted horses.

This is a photo of the spotted horses found in the Peche Merle Cave in Dordogne, France and dates to 25,000 BC.

Here is a quote from Tamsin Pickeral’s book “The Horse . 30,000 years of the Horse in Art.”

The spotted horses may have been an actual representation of horses in that area at the time but the spots extend quite deliberately beyond the outline of the horse, which suggests they had a more significant and symbolic meaning. It is possible that prehistoric man practiced a form of shamanism , a ritualistic religion based on magic, which is still found in hunter-gatherer tribes today. A major part of the cult of shamanism revolves around self-induced trances, during the early stages of which the brain conjures up abstract signs and forms, including prolific dots.

The dots on the horses were applied by blowing pigment through a primitive stencil. The horses are accompanied by negative handprints, which were also created by blowing pigment, using the artist’s hand as a stencil. These handprints might have been the artist’s signature, or might have a greater significance linked to the traditions of shamanism.

Tamsin Pickerel.

Comments

9 responses to “Monday Minstrel: spotted horses.”

  1. Feets Avatar
    Feets

    Wait? Do spotted horses not exist?

    Like

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Yes the Appaloosa and the Knabstrupper are two breeds with spots

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Feets Avatar
        Feets

        That’s what I thought. I was stumped.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Lisa Bernard Avatar

    Fascinating! Please keep posting. I lost my beloved Arabian horse (he was 33 years young) last winter and I am slowly making my way back into the equine world. This helps. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      33 is a great age. That must have been a real heartbreaker! I hope that my blog posts an help you back into the world of horses. Thank you for commenting💕

      Like

  3. sharonsiconictravelphotographyblog Avatar

    You never know. There could have been spotted horses.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      They think that is possible but the spots outside of the horses led to a different line of thought , hence the Shaman and meditation ideas. but there could have been horses like the knabstrupper spotted horses we have today. Thanks for reading and commenting Sharon

      Liked by 1 person

  4. David Avatar

    A fully spotted horse, I’d like see that.

    O/T: How’s the cane working? Does he/she have a first name too? 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      My cane is called Charlie. I’m getting on pretty well with it. Thanks for asking.

      Liked by 1 person

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