THE ALTAMIRA CAVES

BREUIL, HENRI (+) HUGO OBERMAIER.

The Cave at Altamira at Santillana del Mar, Spain.

Madrid, Tipografia de Archivos, 1935.

Large 4to (285 x 370 mm). In the original blank wrapper. Wrappers with a few nicks and light soiling. Tear to upper part of front hindge and foot of spine. Internally very fine and clean. VII, 223 pp + 52 plates and 183 figures. Both black & white photographs and full color plates reproducing Breuil's original drawings of the animals in the Altamira frescoes. Several of the color plates are double pages. All are protected with tissue guards with printed text.

Extensively revised with much better reproductions of Breuil's famous work from 1906 on The Altamira caves. The Altamira caves were the first caves in which prehistoric works of art were found. Breuil, a French archaeologist, visited the site and made drawings of some of the animals depicted on the cave walls for the 1906 monograph. Three decades later, he updated and expanded his work, benefiting from better access to the cave and improved lighting. The discovery of the caves at Altamira was one of the most important archeological discoveries of the 19th century.

Order-nr.: 60288