Material: ceramic
Dimensions (height): 111 mm
Exhibit type: copy of original (plaster)
Archaeological site: Dolní Věstonice I (Dolní Věstonice, Moravia)
Collection: Moravian Museum in Brno, Czech Republic
The Venus of Věstonice (also the “Black Venus”) is a ceramic statue of a naked woman, found on 13 July 1925 in the upper part of the Dolní Věstonice I archaeological site. The statue was discovered by the team of Professor Karel Absolon, in fact by foreman of the diggers of the Věstonice excavations Jozef Seidl, who identified the two broken pieces in the remains of a hearth.
The human fingerprint on the back of the figurine was spotted already at the time it was found. The detailed dermatoglyphic analysis of the fingerprint that was conducted to mark the 75th anniversary of the artefact’s discovery determined that the print was made by a human between 7 and 15 years old. The imprint is generally reckoned to be that of an adolescent girl or a young woman, although the fact that she left the imprint does not necessarily make her the creator of the statue.
