Artwork Page for Palette in the Form of a Fish

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Palette in the Form of a Fish

c. 3500–2950 BCE

Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada II–III

(3650–3000 BCE)
Medium
graywacke
Measurements
Overall: 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Elizabeth M. Skala 1989.32
Public Domain
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Location
107 Egyptian
Print
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Did You Know?

This fish shape is one of the most common for Egyptian cosmetic palettes.

Description

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).
A palette in the shape of a fish is made of graywacke stone mottled with dark gray, brown, and reddish-brown patches. At the left, a flared tail is marked with fine incised lines. Near the right edge, a circular indentation forms an eye above a tiny notch. Portions of the top and bottom edges feature small incised lines, and a single hole is pierced through the stone near the top center.

Palette in the Form of a Fish

c. 3500–2950 BCE

Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada II–III (3650–3000 BCE)

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