Two Spotted Horses with Negative Handprints
Painted and air-brushed on a cave wall
Pech-Merle, France, late period
İAlexander Marshack


Infrared photography has revealed that the first horse, drawn in outline, was filled in over a period of time with sets of red and black spots applied both by blowing and by patting on the paint. Next, spots and handprints were placed around the horse. The smaller horse was drawn later. Alexander Marshack notes, "The sequence suggests a long-term, periodic, and variable ritual use of the wall and the horse."