Domingo Milella

Print 180 x 225 cm. 70 7/8 x 88 5/8 in.

Frame 186.5 x 231.5 cm. 73 3/8 x 91 1/8 in.

Edition 1 of 5 + 2 AP

Directly from the artist studio

Sotheby's Maison, Hong Kong, Domingo Milella LIMINAL, 10 June – 20 August 2026

Middle Upper Paleolithic (ca. 30,000–20,000 years ago)

The lower gallery of the Las Chimeneas cave, on Monte Castillo (Cantabria), used as a “sanctuary” toward the end of the last ice age, features engravings and paintings in its deepest section that extend along ledges and overhangs, forming long horizontal friezes. Located in the center of a large chamber, this is a fine example of “public art,” designed to be viewed and “experienced” by the community. It consists of straight lines arranged diagonally (perhaps incomplete forms) and, above all, quadrangular figures divided into compartments and filled with patterns of lines that create various compositions. There is another figure like these, of large size, engraved on the ceiling. We are completely unaware of its meaning. Various interpretive hypotheses have been proposed for them (houses, fences, boats), seeking a reference in the material world. However, we may be looking at the first purely “abstract” representations, very similar to those found in other nearby caves such as La Pasiega, El Castillo, or Altamira.