Ivory statuette reproducing a female face (3,7 cm. high) called the “Lady of Brassempouy”, found at Landes (Poitou-Charente, France) and dated to the Upper Paleolithic (about 25,000 years B.P.). The peculiarity of this artifact is the emphasis put on the female face, portrayed with fine and graceful traits. This characteristic is in apparent contrast with respect to the contemporary “Venuses”, in which the face is often neglected or dissimulated, giving prominence to the bodily forms. In this image it is possible to discern the aspect of sensuality and female fascination that shall be the recurrent attributes of many female goddesses in the historical era (like Aphrodite, Astarte, the Nymphs). The artifact is exhibited in the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, France.

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