Changing appearances: a comparison between early copies and the present state of rock paintings from the Natal Drakensberg as an indication of rock art deterioration

Abstract

The paper compares the earliest known copies of rock paintings from the Natal Drakensberg with the surviving originals to assess the extent of deterioration over the past century. The copies were made by the Hutchinson family in the 1870s and 1880s at Main Caves, Giant's Castle Game Reserve. The results show that there has been extensive damage to, and even loss of, paintings, particularly those executed during the frontier period of the nineteenth century. Further, urgent recording work is called for to save these nineteenth century images of a now extinct way of life.

To cite this article: Ward, V. & Maggs, T. 1994. Changing appearances: a comparison between early copies and the present state of rock paintings from the Natal Drakensberg as an indication of rock art deterioration. Natal Museum Journal of Humanities 6: 153-78.