MP Gallery - Warlingham, Surrey, England - HW Site, mixed Middle Palaeolithic, with some Acheulian and Neolithic / e) female figurines

Comment: Female figurines from Henley Wood (HW) site. (top left) another Surrey madonna, courtesy Ron Williams; (top right) with child on back, or in backpack; (bottom left) a female-hippopotamus combination sculpture; (bottom right) triangular geometric form of the 'birthgiver' or 'goddess'.

Typical of the HW (and associated sites) palaeoart style is that a natural shape is transformed into a ritual art object by just one or a few flakes or chips removed, often to indicate key canonical features of the theme. Below, two objects have 'face' chips removed; top left, flaking around the 'infant'; bottom right, a natural indentation evokes the head or face, just as on the obverse a natural round protuberance evokes the womb.

Photographer © James Harrod. Collection, James Harrod. The site is documented in Williams, R. (1987). Beestachtig en Beregoed (II): Steentijdtradities en rituele vuursteenskulpturen van Surrey, Engeland door Ron Williams. Archaeologische Berichten 18:13-38 (Elst, NL).