Engraving of an owl from the Chauvet cave, France. Photo of a replica of the engraving in the Brno museum Anthropos. Public Domain by HBO via Wikimedia Commons.
On the dating, wikipedia says:
The dates have been a matter of dispute but a study published in 2012 supports placing the art in the Aurignacian period, approximately 32,000–30,000 years BP. As recently as spring 2016, an additional 88 radiocarbon dates indicate two periods of habitation. One from 37,000 to 35,000 years ago and another from 31,000 to 28,000.
Another view of the panel of art in the End Chamber.
Photo: Stephen Alvarez © National Geographic via donsmaps.
While the animals in this cave are anatomically quite accurate, owl-like figures have appeared much later in prehistoric (and historic) art all over the globe. In the context of the cave, I’d say the owl is really an owl. However so abstract are later “owls”, that their identification as such (they have big eyes) seems a matter of preference. The two (sometimes more) big prominent circular features (call them eyes, ears, goggles, you name it) have captured the interest of countless cultures across the ages:
Sculpture,owl, 26 × 17 cm. From Algeria. © lessingimages.com. The source places it between 3rd and 2nd millenium BCE.
Aerial view of the "Owlman" aka "Astronaut", a geoglyph of the Nazca Lines, which are located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. The geoglyphs of this UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 1994) are spread over a 80 km (50 mi) plateau between the towns of Nazca and Palpa. CC-BY-SA, by Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons.
Valdivia stone idols. © Muzeion. Valdivia flat slab stone in the form of a stylized human figure in the classical style of these pieces that are the earliest and most expressive forms of art from South America and the world. Eye area, neck and feet indicated by wide grooving. Grey/green stone, heavy manganese deposits.
Maya. painted stucco. height 12 cm. A trio of owls. May be a reference to the messenger owls of the Popol Vuh. Said to have come from Yucatan. Photographs © Justin Kerr via mayavase.com.
Several types of plank or slab figures were made during the Early and Middle Bronze Age. The representation of the human figure ranges from those with one neck and abstract linear designs to figures with bodies that are rectangular with anatomical features carved in low relief. The meaning of these idols is speculative but may refer to ritual magic connected with the owner’s desire for multiple births and fertility.
Female figurine with movable legs. Handmade. Bell-shaped body with modeled breasts, tall neck ending in a bird-like face. From Thebes. Early 7th c. BC. © National Archaeological Museum of Greece.
Sumerian Large Terracotta Eye Idol. 4th Millennium BC. H. 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.). Ex German private collection. © royalathena.com.
Published: J. Eisenberg, Art of the Ancient World, 2006, no. 220 (amazon).
Anatolian Idol in the Form of a Stylized Female Figure. 3500 BC - 2500 BC. Silver, height 3.3 cm. Acquired on the European Art Market, 1994. Serial Nº: 13384. © e-tiquities.com.
Pottery figurine from the Middle Euphrates EBIV 2400-2000 BCE. Photographed at The British Museum in London, United Kingdom. CC BY-NC-SA by Mary Harrsch via flickr.
Eye idol from Tell Brak, ca. 3700–3500 B.C., Gypsum alabaster, Metropolitan Museum of Art via Archive.org. 1937-38, excavated by Max Mallowan, on behalf of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, ceded in the division of finds to the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, acquired by the Museum in 1951, gift of the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. Accession_number 51.59.7
Eye idol from Tell Brak, ca. 3700–3500 B.C., Gypsum alabaster, Metropolitan Museum of Art via Archive.org. 1937-38, excavated by Max Mallowan, on behalf of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, ceded in the division of finds to the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, acquired by the Museum in 1951, gift of the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. Accession_number 51.59.9
Marble Double Eye Idol, Tell Brak, Syria, c. 4000 BCE
Goddess | Pakistan (Quetta area) | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Eye figurines from the Eye Temple in Tell Brak. PD by Helvetiker via Wikimedia Commons. Original caption reads: Schaffhausen, Museum zu Allerheiligen, Sammlung Ebnöther, (Abteilung "Idole") Zwei Augenidole, links: Kalkstein (Höhe 19,3 cm), rechts: Alabaster (Höhe: 4,6 cm), aus Syrien, 2. Hälfte des 4. Jahrtausend vor Christus; genaue Provenienz nicht angegeben; solche Idole wurden lt. Katalog gefunden in Tepe Gaura und im Augentempel von Tell Brak (Katalog 1999, S. 22).
Africa | Elephant Mask from the Bamiléké people of Cameroon | Postcard; publisher Hoa-Qui n° 3720 BT3. Via delcampe.net.
Malagan display mask, Northern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, probably 19th century. Collection of Valerie Franklin. Via Hali.
Figure C. Dinwoody Tradition Cannibal Owl petroglyph from the Wind River area.
Goggle-eyed Dogū (clay figurine) from the late Jōmon period (1000-400 BCE), which was unearthed in 1887 at the Kamegaoka Site. Tokyo National Museum. Public Domain by PHG via Wikimedia Commons.
Terracotta statuette of woman with bird face. OASC The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Date: ca. 1450–1200 B.C. Culture: Cypriot. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 173. This figurine is typical of Cypriot coroplastic art of the Late Cypriot II and III periods. The type, with the pubic triangle accentuated and the breasts clearly shown, is likely of Syrian origin, but Cypriot sculptors created their own variations. Handmade and hollow, it has a shaved surface. Her eyes are pellets surrounded by rings. In each large flat ear are two perforations, each containing an earring; the lower ones have overlapping terminals. The infant stretches out its arms and has depressed circles for its eyes.
