The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 12, 2026

A long, thin rectangular scribe's palette of dark brown, weathered wood features rounded ends and visible graining. Faint rectangular lines are etched on the left edge, while a narrow, tapered slot for pens is carved into the center. Further right, two small circular depressions for ink sit side-by-side. Small cracks and worn edges throughout reveal the wood's age and use over time.

Scribe's Palette

1540–1186 BCE

Egypt, New Kingdom , Dynasties 18–19

(1540–1069 BCE)
wood
Overall: 5 x 1 cm (1 15/16 x 3/8 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1914.727
Location: Not on view
  • Purchased from P. Kytikas, Cairo, 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. 313; Mentioned: p. 313
  • CMA 1916, no. 9, p. 205
  • {{cite web|title=Scribe's Palette|url=false|author=|year=1540–1186 BCE|access-date=12 June 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.727