Hi-tech replica to bring prehistoric art of Lascaux within reach

48m recreation of French caves will let visitors experience magic of the 'prehistoric Sistine chapel' for first time in decades

In the Dordogne village of Montignac sur Vi(C)zire, the story of how one boy and his dog discovered one of the most haunting examples of prehistoric art has gone down in local folklore.

On 8 September 1940, Marcel Ravidat's black-and-white mongrel, Robot, dived into a hole in the ground in pursuit of a rabbit. The 17-year-old Ravidat retrieved his pet, and returned a few days later with three friends to explore what appeared to be an underground cave. Dropping into the rocks, they entered a grotto where the flickering light of their oil lamp lit upon a painting of a red bull. The rest is prehistory.