A tiny and lovely bird carved into the burnt bones, discovered in China and older than 13,500 years, takes the title of oldest figurine of East Asia, according to a study published Wednesday in PLOS One.

" The sculpture is not a representation totally realistic of a bird. The artist oversized the tail of the bird to allow the sculpture to stand on its pedestal, "said the AFP Francesco D'errico, CNRS researcher, for which this implies that there was already, at that time, at "an advanced stage" of artistic practice.