It is a small statue that is between 13,000 and 13,800 years old.

Scientists discovered the statue – which is supposed to represent a bird – in the Chinese province of Henan. The statue is made from burnt bone and goes into the books as the oldest work of art discovered in China to date. With an age between 13,000 and 13,800 years old, it is more than 8,500 (!) Years older than the oldest figurines that were known to us from East Asia until recently.

Important discovery
It is an important discovery, says researcher Francesco d’Arrico Scientias.nl. He points out that, although statuettes – much older ones – have often been found in the ancient Stone Age in Europe, such finds are much rarer or even not found in other parts of the world. This applies, for example, to Africa and much of Asia. “This may be partly due to the fact that little research has been done, but it is also possible that some human societies have added the production of images to their cultural repertoire quite late,” said Errico. “We just don’t know that for large areas and a discovery like this is particularly relevant because it gives us a glimpse into the unknown.”

Differences
The statue now discovered in China is clearly different from the images excavated previously in Europe. “The well-known figures from the Aurignacian (an archaeological culture from the late ancient Stone Age, ed.) That have been found in Germany, for example, are much larger and made almost entirely from the ivory of mammoths,” says Errico. “Many of these figurines have also been used as jewelery or hung on clothing. A number of them are also decorated with notches, something we do not see with the bird from Lingjing. None of the European figurines are made from burned bone. ” But there is another thing in which the Chinese artwork differs from European peers. For example, the bird stands on a pedestal. And that is something we never see in European art from the same time.

Image: © Francesco d’Errico & Luc Doyon.

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Skillful artist
The statue clearly testifies to an artistic tradition that was very different from the one we encounter in western Europe at the same time. Furthermore, the statue reveals that its maker was particularly skilled. “The artist skilfully applied four different techniques to create the statue,” said Errico. It results in a carefully recreated bird that – after having undergone microscopic examination and a CT scan – turns out to have no less than 68 facets. “What is also interesting is that the tail is extra large, which prevents the bird from falling upside down. This indicates that the artist was very aware of the challenges of producing a portrait 3D display. ”

More figurines are waiting to be discovered
For now, the carefully crafted statue is entering the books as the oldest statue to date found in China and even all of East Asia. However, it seems to be a matter of time before many older figurines are found in the same region, said Errico. “I am sure that the artistic tradition that this image reflects has a long history. It is really only a matter of time before we discover even more images from this tradition. ”

However, important conclusions can already be drawn on the basis of the discovery of this one statue. “Its originality supports the hypothesis that the production of three-dimensional images has not only one origin and may have fulfilled different functions in different cultural systems.”