back to overview
 


Nature


Plants and flowers. More - trees, fruits, animals etc. - to be added soon!



5 subcategories
all other Plants

ALL OTHER PLANTS

Animals

ANIMALS

Flowers

FLOWERS

Fruit & Vegetables

FRUIT & VEGETABLES

Trees

TREES

6,644 photos
Swimming reindeer, Late Magdalenien, around 12.500 years old. From the rock shalter of Monastruc, Tarn et Garonne, France. One of the most beautiful pieces of Stone Age art ever found. It shows two reindeer, one behind the other, the figure in front is a female with smaller body and antlers, her coat is delicately shaded. The larger male figure is not shaded but his strong body is clearly carved. On both animals the antlers are laid back and the legs are folded underneath. With their noses up and the antlers back the carving seems to show the reindeer swimming. Mammoth tusk ivory.
#03030335

Swimming reindeer, Late Magdalenien, around 12.500 years old. From the rock shal...

Spearthrower carved as a mammoth, Late Magdalenian, about 12,500 years old. Spearthrowers came into use about 18,000 years ago in western Europe. They consist of a straight handle with a hook at one end. The bottom of the spear fits against the hook and the spear shaft and spearthrower handle are held together with the hook end by the shoulder. Launching the spear in this way sends it with more force and speed and across a longer distance than if it was simply thrown by hand. The hook ends of spearthrowers are frequently decorated with an animal. This example from Montastruc, Tarn-et-Garonne, France, shows a mammoth. It is the only known example which has a hole for an eye (which probably held an insert of bone or stone). The hook is also unusual because it is an ancient repair. The original hook carved from the antler broke off and was mended by cutting a slot on the back and inserting a bone or antler replacement. The mammoth's tusks appear on each side of the handle, most of which was broken off in ancient times. P&EE, Sieveking Catalogue no. 555
#03030336

Spearthrower carved as a mammoth, Late Magdalenian, about 12,500 years old. Spea...

Perforated baton with horse and fish engravings, Late Magdalenian, about 12,500 years old. Antler batons first appeared in the early Upper Palaeolithic of western Europe about 35,000 years ago. By the Late Upper Palaeolithic Magdalenian period, about 14,000-10,000 years ago, they were in common use and often richly decorated. Tthe use or uses of batons are not known. It was once thought that they must have been symbols of power, because of the decoration. However, they could also have been used in making string and rope, for softening leather straps or as parts of roping systems used in hunting. This baton from La Madeleine is made on the main stem of the antler from which the branches or tines have been cut off. It has two holes surrounded by deep grooves. Like many batons, this example is decorated with animals. On the right end facing left is a male horse, his feet coming together and tail flying as he runs. Two fish, one overlapping the head of the horse, swim towards the perforated end. On the opposite a shoal of fish fill the middle area. Each fish is infilled with lines. Such infilled fish and horses are typical of the later Magdalenian. P&EE, Sieveking Catalogue no. 312
#03030337

Perforated baton with horse and fish engravings, Late Magdalenian, about 12,500...

Rock painting of hunting a snake or serpent from Zamora, Ecuador
#03030342

Rock painting of hunting a snake or serpent from Zamora, Ecuador

Head of ox on stone from Riparo Tagliente, Italy. Palaeolithic stone age
#03030349

Head of ox on stone from Riparo Tagliente, Italy. Palaeolithic stone age

Stone relief with animals, cattle and goat. From Megalithic temple of Tarxien, Malta; 3500 BCE
#03030362

Stone relief with animals, cattle and goat. From Megalithic temple of Tarxien,...

Rock painting of a horse and rider from Oum Ecnha, Libya.
#03030364

Rock painting of a horse and rider from Oum Ecnha, Libya.

Bird-like figure on a three-wheel wagon drawn by birds. From Dupljaja, location Grad, Serbia Terracotta (15th BCE) Statue, heigth 13.5 cm; wagon 25.6 x 16 cm Inv. Br. 4533 See also 07-02-02/20, 21
#03030366

Bird-like figure on a three-wheel wagon drawn by birds. From Dupljaja, location...

Dagger with a horse's head,India,18th. Grey-green jade inlaid with gold,rubies and emeralds,damascened steel. L:50,5 cm Rothschild Collection.
#030401 5

Dagger with a horse's head,India,18th. Grey-green jade inlaid w...

Portrait of Shah Abbas I,Isfahan,Iran,March 12,1627 with one of his concubines in the garden. Ink,colours and gold on paper,25,5 x 15 cm
#030401 8

Portrait of Shah Abbas I,Isfahan,Iran,March 12,1627 with one of his concubin...

Two jade bases for huqqa pipes. The main body of each bowl is green jade,encrusted with darker green jade. lapis lazuli and rubies. The bowls sit in tall three-footed mounts, made of green marble and ormulu. The were produced by a French artist in London, fleeing the French Revolution. It was common for Islamic objects to be set in European frames or mounts by their European owners. OA 1956.7-24.1.a,b.
#03040124

Two jade bases for huqqa pipes. The main body of each bowl is green jade,encrust...

Hunting wild animals Shiraz, Iran; around 1540 Ink, gouache et or; 12,3cm x 9,5cm OA 7107
#03040129

Hunting wild animals Shiraz, Iran; around 1540 Ink, gouache et or; 12,3cm x 9,...