NO TALLER THAN 4.5 INCHES, this tiny figure made
a tremendous impact on art history when discov-
ered in 1908. Dubbed the Venus of Willendorf,
after where it was found in Austria, it is roughly
30,000 years old, fashioned during the Aurigna-
cian culture of the Upper Paleolithic. Carved from
limestone, the faceless sculpture bears traces of
red ocher pigment. Her large breasts, round hips,
and protruding belly led many scholars to believe
the sculpture represented a fertility goddess, but
a recent controversial theory suggests this Venus
of Willendorf and others like it are self-portraits,
carved from the perspective of a woman looking
down at her own body—perhaps while she was
pregnant. Whatever its ancient purpose, the Wil-
lendorf statue is an instantly recognizable icon of
Stone Age art. It can be seen today at the Natural
History Museum, Vienna, Austria.WOMAN OR
GODDESS
PHOTOS: ERICH LESSING/ALBUMNATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HISTORY 25