A 23,000-year-old statue of a woman hailed as a “masterpiece” has been discovered in France.

The 12cm sculpture was found on an archaeological site in Amiens. It shows a woman with large breasts and buttocks, the AFP news agency reported, adding that the head and arms were less detailed.

Nicole Phoyu-Yedid, the head of cultural affairs in the area, told the news agency: “The discovery of this masterpiece is exceptional and internationally significant.”

Archaeologist Clement Paris added that they had been expecting to find the usual “tooled flint or bones” at the Paleolithic dig site.

But on the second day of digging they found some interesting limestone fragments.

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“That night we carefully pieced together the 20-odd fragments and realised it was a female statuette,” Mr Paris said.