The End Chamber

As the most iconic area of the cave, this is the heart of the sanctuary

Grotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Feline Fresco (Chauvet Cave, Ardèche) (2008/2008) by L. Guichard/Perazio/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

It is here that the large Fresco of the Big Cats was made. About 49 ft long, this fresco shows very naturalistic, animal-life scenes.

Woolly rhinos are grouped together. One of them seems to be in motion amongst the many horns.

Big Bisons (Chauvet Cave, Ardèche) (2008/2008) by L. Guichard/Perazio/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

To the far right of this large fresco, there are two large spotted bisons, over three-feet long each, representing the first great masterpiece of humanity.

Venus - End Room (Chauvet cave, Ardèche) (2008/2008) by L. Guichard/Perazio/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Drawn on a limestone pendant facing the Fresco of the Big Cats, it is isolated and is the only anthropomorphic representation in the cave (to the right in the photo).

A complex figure shows the lower body of a female (recognizable through the pubic triangle and the legs).

Above, a bison appears to curl up around what could be the representation of a woman. Is it a random occurrence or a symbolic intention to connect to the Venus of Laussel, a woman holding a buffalo horn in her right hand?

Feline Fresco (Chauvet Cave, Ardèche) (2008/2008) by L. Guichard/Perazio/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Discover the other rooms of the Chauvet Cave here:

- Brunel Room
- The Bear Hollow Chamber
- The Red Panels Gallery
- The Candle Chamber
- The Hillaire Chamber
- The Skull Chamber and the Lattices Gallery

The Megaloceros Gallery

Credits: Story

The Syndicat mixte de l'Espace de restitution de la grotte Chauvet (Public Union to manage the Chauvet Cave/SMERGC) thanks the Ministry of Culture and Communication. This exhibition was created as part of an agreement linking these two partners to promote the Chauvet Cave and its geographical and historical context.
SMERGC is the designer, developer and owner of the La Grotte Chauvet 2 site (formerly known as Caverne du Pont d'Arc). It prepared and defended the application package of the Chauvet Cave for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

http://lacavernedupontdarc.org/
https://www.facebook.com/lagrottechauvet2/

SMERGC also thanks Google Arts & Culture.

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

Grotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

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