The "Venus of Willendorf" statuette was an archeological finding near Willendorf, Austria in 1908 by Josef Szombathy. The specimen was carved out of Oolitic Limestone and is approximately 11cm in length. A recent study dated it back to 24,000-22,000 BCE, making it the earliest recorded representation of a human figure. It is a peculiar piece because we know so little about it. Given the form of and context in which it was created, it could have represented a multitude of ideas.
The emphasis on the female parts in particular suggests that it was an icon for erotica, fertility, or even maternity. As opposed to the status quo of today, anyone who was heavyset in the Paleolithic Era was considered healthy and affluent. That being said, the Venus could potentially be modeled after some sort of queen or deity. Given the lack of a face, feet, and proportion, it is unlikely that the piece was carved to signify an existing person at the time, unless it was to symbolize a special female individual with a lifestyle of leisure. The study of this as well as other Paleolithic Venus statues raises other wonderments of the time, such as what religious and mythological views were shared, what the people ate, and how sexual behaviors might have been practiced differently.
There are layers of reasons why this figure was named “Venus,” which can be problematic when discerning its actual purpose. First, there is an ironic tone to the name, since Venus is the Classical goddess of beauty, love, and sexuality in Western culture where our standards of beauty might be different, which contrasts with the obese and less feminine form of most Venus statues from the Paleolithic Era. However, the name could also be linked to the fertility aspect and the naturally beautiful form of women through accentuating sexually related parts. Yet another reason could be that the figure is actually meant to represent a prominent goddess, much like the Earth Mother/Mother Goddess of Greek Mythology. If this is true, it might also suggest that the roles of females were significantly more important in society in Paleolithic times than nowadays. Societies may even have consisted of matriarchies, promoting the notion of fertility more so. All of these points, in some way, connote the idea of a “Venus,” tying the name and the piece together in its objectivity in a variety of ways.
Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, the author of the article “Venus Of Willendorf,” gives the impression of having an aesthetic view toward the female body. I follow his view, and I believe the “Venus” of Willendorf is beautiful in its mystifying symbolism and the way that it is art. However, when compared to the standards of beauty in modern western culture, it loses attraction on the grounds of its form. It should also be taken into account that the human body is an amazing biological machine and is beautiful in the way that it is unique unlike anything else in the universe.
