The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 12, 2026

A slender graywacke stone tapers from a thickened, rhomboidal midsection toward sharp points. The implement's smooth surface displays a mottled patina of muted gray and earthy brown. Subtle pits and tone variations ripple across its length, revealing a weathered, organic texture. From the central bulge, the spindle-like form narrows symmetrically, its continuous line creating a balanced silhouette that transitions into fine points at either end.

Rhomboidal Palette

4000–3500 BCE

Egypt, Predynastic

(5000–2950 BCE), Naqada I (3900–3500 BCE)
graywacke
Overall: 8 x 2.2 cm (3 1/8 x 7/8 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1914.668
Location: Not on view
  • Purchased in Egypt by Lucy Olcott Perkins through Henry W. Kent
  • Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced: p. 114; Mentioned: p. 114
  • {{cite web|title=Rhomboidal Palette|url=false|author=|year=4000–3500 BCE|access-date=12 June 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.668