The Feline Fresco (Salle du Fond, Chauvet cave, Ardèche) (2008/2008) by L. Guichard/Perazio/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Explore the Cave at Home
36,000 years ago, our ancestors became artists. The Chauvet caves are an icon of early human art, and perhaps the oldest artworks we know. Their fragile nature means they're now virtually inaccessible. But with Pocket Gallery, you can cave-dive at home.
Become a speleologist and dive right into the gallery by clicking 'enter'. You can wander round the virtual space and discover the wonders of the cave. But what're the highlights? Here are the five things you shouldn't miss...
Panel of Horses (1) PG
The Reindeer Panel
The thirteen beasts depicted in this panel stretch the limits of a standing-person's ability to paint across the cave's surface, clustering up to a height of 2.5 metres. You can get up close here in the virtual gallery.
Panel of Horses (2) PG
Panel of Horses
Maybe the most iconic single panel of the caves, these rearing horses heads are shaded and multiplied to suggest movement and tumult. Would a flickering fire have animated them like cinema?
Engraved Horse Panel PG
Engraved Horse Panel
This engraved horse stands tall, etched into the cave's surface. The mane and head are picked out in realistic detail, but the legs taper away, making the creature seem like a spirit, and apparition, a memory. Make sure to examine every detail in this virtual recreation.
Alcove of the Felines PG
Alcove of the Felines
Bursting forth from a natural alcove in the cave network comes a powerful procession of lions, tigers, sabre-tooths. The virtual gallery allows you to crawl deep into the recess and catch every mark on the wall.
Secret Rhino Chauvet PG (2)
Can You Find the Secret Rhino?
There's a lone Woolly Rhino standing out on the cavernous planes of the cave's walls. Can you find this solo beast, a little off the beaten track of the virtual gallery?
