Cleveland Museum of Art

Palette in the Form of a Fish

Date

c. 3500–2950 BCE

Medium

graywacke

Culture

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

Department

Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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

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