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Thursday, February 2, 2012

0076 - Animal figurines at Perdigões



A paper is in press about the ivory animal figurines at Perdigões enclosure. These are very small sculptures of several animals (ox, deer, birds, rabbit and a possible pig) that have between 1 and 2 cm.

If one of them might be attached to a larger artefact, the others seem to be independent objects.
Why are they so small?
Why, in a period of schematic art, are they so realistic?

They resemble the small animal figurines of Dorset culture (Arctic hunters and gatherers) and its animistic context of function and meaning described by Tim Ingold. Could a similar line of inquiry share some light over the Perdigões ones?

I do believe animistic thought and its world views are an indispensable approach to understand much of the problems that we are confronted with at Perdigões set of enclosures.

2 comments:

  1. where can i get your publications on perdigoes and animism?
    luisa francia
    luisa@salamandra.de

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    Replies
    1. The paper was submited to referee evaluation. With luck, it will be published by the end of this year.

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