Engraved horse from Robin Hood Cave

The horse survives as a head, neck and the front of its body, engraved on a rib fragment. Before drawing, the maker prepared the bone’s surface. Tool marks preserve that stage of the work as well as the lines of the animal. The fragment comes from Robin Hood Cave and belongs to the Magdalenian period of the later Ice Age. The cave’s modern name identifies its findspot. The engraved animal belongs to a far earlier history than the medieval stories of Robin Hood. The Derbyshire Caves Exploration Committee donated the fragment to the Museum. The original is currently off display. In a detailed image, compare the preparation marks with the horse’s outline. They preserve successive decisions, first making a surface suitable for drawing and then placing an animal on it.