Could the Earliest Depiction of a Kiss in a Painting be in Brazil?

The first painting depicting a kiss in human history may have been discovered in Brazil’s Serra da Capivara National Park.

According to the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), researchers believe a rock painting in the park, showing people touching heads, could be one of the earliest depictions of a kiss, as according to several sources, the painting dates back 50,000 years. Other sources claim this painting to be around 12,000 years old.

The dating of this painting, as well as thousands found in the park, is much debated, given that despite evidence being found at Pedra Furada, Piauí suggesting humans were in the Americas 50,000 years ago, this hypothesis is still not widely accepted by American archaeologists.

The institute announced on social media that this painting was found alongside other drawings engraved on cave walls across the park. The paintings would document the presence of prehistoric humans in South America.

ICMBio says the paintings depict sexual acts, kisses, and hugs

In the statement posted to Instagram, ICMBio stated, “The paintings depict not only everyday aspects, such as hunting and rituals, but also show affectionate and social interactions, such as records of sexual acts, kisses, and hugs.”

Additionally, the institute says the park holds the largest collection of known rock paintings in the Americas. According to the researchers, ancient humans in modern-day Brazil created the paintings, including one depicting a kiss, using natural pigments such as iron oxides and charcoal. The paintings have surprising durability due to the dry climate and the characteristics of the sandstone rocks.

Serra da Capivara National Park houses approximately 35,000 rock drawings, some dating back 50,000 years. It also contains more than 1,300 archaeological sites. The park, located in the Brazilian state of Piauí, had its rock art recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1991.

Other remarkable early depictions of kisses

If the ‘first kiss’ rock painting found in Brazil is confirmed to be 50,000 years old, it would more likely than not be the earliest depiction of a kiss in art. However, this has not been confirmed.

Until this is confirmed, however, the oldest confirmed depiction of a kiss in a painting is more likely than not those on ancient Greek pottery. Scholars widely accept some of these vases dating back to the 7th century BCE as some of the earliest depictions of romantic gestures in art.

A famous example of this is the Attic Red-Figure Kylix. This drinking cup portrays a scene in which a couple is affectionate with each other and shares an embrace. The cup dates back to 480 BCE.

Retweeted J. Paul Getty Museum (@GettyMuseum):

On the interior of this Athenian red-figure kylix or cup, a seated youth pulls his older male lover down toward him for a kiss. On view at the #GettyVilla https://t.co/43Aa2hz5SX #InternationalKissingDay pic.twitter.com/6oTHUGawBL

— Hadrian Bagration (@HBagration) July 6, 2018

Another example is the Attic Red-Figure Lekythos, a vase used for storing oil, portraying a couple sharing an intimate moment. Scholars continue to debate these poses, leading to differing interpretations of whether kisses were depicted on the vases.