I love kisses, and it seems that most artists do too (and you too, reader, admit it!). The kiss, as a symbolic and expressive gesture, has held a fascinating place in the history of art, transcending eras and styles to embody various human emotions: love, passion, betrayal, spiritual quest, and sometimes even the confrontation with death.
Whether shy, stolen, passionate, traitorous, with or without tongues, between two people of the same sex, the kiss appears in countless forms.
But when did the first kiss ever get represented? This is a very interesting question because it inevitably teaches us about ourselves, our origins, our psychology. Whether prehistoric humans kissed or not is extremely significant.
Science, just like art history, proves that art and the kiss share a genuine romance.
Since when have we represented kisses in art?
And when did these marks of affection first appear? This question intrigued two researchers at the University of Copenhagen for quite some time, and they finally shared their findings in May 2023 in the journal Science: the history of the kiss goes back to ancient times!
Kissing is as old as the world
The first recorded kisses in human history date back approximately 4,500 years, to the time of the Mesopotamian civilisations in the heart of the ancient Near East. To trace their origin, the Danish researchers examined a collection of clay tablets from Mesopotamia and Egypt, dating at least to 2,500 BC, which already described scenes of kissing.
From the earliest written records, humanity took care to document these gestures of affection, practised both between spouses and between unmarried people.
However, it’s important not to conclude that before this, people didn’t kiss! On the contrary, this gesture seems to date back to the dawn of time. In their study, the researchers even point out that Neanderthals might have engaged in such oral exchanges, which likely helped spread Methanobrevibacter oralis, a bacterium responsible for oral infections, over 100,000 years ago. Alongside this, very old traces of cold sores have also been discovered — not as romantic!
The oldest kiss in sculpture
The oldest representation of a couple kissing is housed in the British Museum. Discovered in 1933 in a cave near Bethlehem by a prehistoric enthusiast, this small calcite sculpture, called The Ain Sakhri Lovers dates back to the Ice Age… a staggering 11,000 years ago! It shows two entwined figures and, with a touching simplicity, evokes The Kiss by sculptor Constantin Brancusi, created in the early 20th century.
In painting, the kiss came later
In painting, the first kiss takes a little longer to appear. For centuries, art was dominated by religious commissions, and although there was a recurring theme of Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss, opportunities to depict a kiss of love were rare. It wasn’t until the early days of the Italian Renaissance that the romantic kiss finally made its public debut.
In this context, Italian artist Giotto was one of the first to break these boundaries. Between 1303 and 1305, he depicted a kiss exchanged between a man and a woman in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. She caresses his cheek, holding the back of his head; their halos cross, and their lips meet… This kissing scene – the first since Antiquity – is part of a fresco painted high on the chapel walls, illustrating episodes from the life of the Virgin Mary. The two lovers painted by Giotto are Joachim and Anne – the parents of Mary, kissing in front of the Golden Gate of Jerusalem, symbolising the joy of Anne’s pregnancy.
The question of the first kiss in art invites us to reconsider not only our cultural history
but also our relationship to intimacy and human connection through the ages. The kiss, far from being just a simple gesture of affection, embodies a deep expression of human emotions, a practice that has transcended centuries, from primal gestures to the most refined works of art. By exploring its representations in art, we discover that this simple yet powerful act has always played a much broader role: that of weaving connections, conveying emotions, and telling stories about human nature. It’s not merely a matter of artistic chronology but also a mirror of the evolution of our relationship with love, passion, and intimate communication. Through this exploration, the kiss continues to provoke us, inviting both reflection on our cultural heritage and our fundamental need for connection.
Reference: Troels Pank Arbøll and Sophie Lund Rasmussen, The ancient history of kissing, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adf0512 / NIH
I am a French-New Zealand artist, born in Paris and living in Wellington since 2017. As a painter and sculptor, I have been passionate about art and history since childhood. I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by magnificent artworks, endless curiosities, the timeless scent of old stone, and a continent rich in stories and mysteries.
Studying history of art along with my interest in psychology and writing led me to create this blog, where I share my perspective on topics and questions that intrigue me. Occasionally, I allow myself a more personal post. I hope you enjoy reading my articles as much as I enjoyed writing them.
You can browse my work at www.lauraolenska.com or join me in my creative process on Instagram @lauraolenska.