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Palette in the Form of a Fish
c. 3500–2950 BCE
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Stone palettes were used for grinding eye paint worn for cosmetic purposes and to protect against sun glare and eye infections. There were two types: green, made from malachite (copper ore), and black, made from galena (lead ore). As funerary items, these ores may have had a deep significance for the deceased as symbols of regeneration and rebirth: the rich soil of the banks of the Nile (black), and the lush vegetation it sustained (green).
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Details
- Title: Palette in the Form of a Fish
- Date Created: c. 3500–2950 BCE
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.)
- Provenance: Said to have been in the collections of Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie and John Garstang. Purchased from Peter Scharrer, New York
- Type: Implements
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1989.32
- Medium: graywacke
- Fun Fact: This fish shape is one of the most common for Egyptian cosmetic palettes.
- Department: Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
- Culture: Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada II–III (3650–3000 BCE)
- Credit Line: Bequest of Elizabeth M. Skala
- Collection: Egypt - Predynastic
- Accession Number: 1989.32
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