A Remarkable Painted Cave on the Estate of Lescaux (Montignac, Dordogne)
Nature 147, 12-13 (04 January 1941)
Abbe HENRI BREUIL
Abstract
In mid-September 1940, several young lads of Montignac, MM. Ravitat, Marsal, Quacroy, Cuancas, and Estracgil, encouraged by a retired schoolmaster of the town, M. Laval, to explore underground passages in the neighbourhood, cleared out a shaft leading vertically from a plateau to the east of the town. This shaft had been filled up to prevent cattle falling in and only a narrow passage led to the bottom, ending in a hollow into which the young explorers slid after having enlarged it. Descending a slope of fallen boulders, they discovered that some of those fallen from the vault of the first hall were decorated with magnificent frescoes which continued down a narrow alley leading out of it. M. Estracgil made several sketches of these, which he showed to M. Laval, who was at first sceptical about them. Whereupon M. Maurice Thaon, a good sportsman and draughtsman, whom I had known since his childhood, and to whom, a few days earlier, I had shown the painted caves of Font-de-Gaume and La Mouthe, at Les Eyzies, was taken to the cave by the youthful discoverers, and brought careful drawings and some tracings to me.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGXBCmNRRS1sL8bzxRCIUHCDeSwTyvSyXoa4-W6emK6OPs4tiM6tua3B3XOBherL-zD_oLrsEjivucNJLQix5gFfhPpOsIOO6dww_PH8DvyvzHzgm75TMWQZMW1QRWuwmGMStWntsGU3R/s400/finding-group.jpg)
Discoverers Jacques Marsal and Marcel Ravidat with Abbe Breuil and teacher Mr. Laval at the entrance of the cave