The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 18, 2025
Palette in the Form of a Turtle
c. 3500–3050 BCE
(5000–2950 BCE), Naqada IIa–IIIa (3650–3000 BCE)
Overall: 7.8 cm (3 1/16 in.)
Location: 107 Egyptian
Did You Know?
This is an ancient makeup palette used to blend and apply cosmetics.Description
Stone palettes were used for grinding eyepaint worn by men and women alike for cosmetic purposes and to protect against sun glare and eye infections. There were two types of eyepaint: green, made from malachite (copper ore), and black, made from galena (lead ore). Small quantities of ore are sometimes found in graves alongside the palettes.- Purchased from Alkis Matheos, Uraeus Gallery, Paris
- E. H. T. “The Year in Review: Selections 1989.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 77, no. 2 (February 1990): 38–78. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 66, no. 6 www.jstor.orgBerman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced: p. 115; Mentioned: p. 115
- The Year in Review for 1989. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 6-April 15, 1990).CMA 1990, no. 6, illus. p. 66
- {{cite web|title=Palette in the Form of a Turtle|url=false|author=|year=c. 3500–3050 BCE|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1989.47