Since our taste had been whetted by the reproduction caves of Lascaux II, we headed to the only cave in France with polychromatic cro-magnon cave drawings that was still open to the public. La Grotte de Font de Gaume allows only 180 visitors each day, in small groups of no more than 15 people.
It was nice to visit this after the Lascaux visit, since it really made me appreciate how difficult it was to preserve these drawings. It was also good because I heard the English tour at Lascaux, which made it easier for me to understand the French tour at Font de Gaume today!
Font de Gaume was discovered in 1901 and not particularly protected for a few years, so there is early 20th century graffitti that defaces quite a few of the drawings. It was a sacred site for our prehistoric ancestors, same as Lascaux, and they painted many of the same animals - primarily bison and horses. It was much harder to discern the drawings and they use the same principle of leveraging the natural contours of the rock.
Here's a photo of the postcard they had of their best preserved bison.
I predict that Font de Gaume will also be closed to the general public in my lifetime.
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