Cleveland Museum of Art

Palette in the Form of a Turtle

Date

c. 3500–3050 BCE

Medium

graywacke

Culture

Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada IIa–IIIa (3650–3000 BCE)

Department

Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. This is an ancient makeup palette used to blend and apply cosmetics.

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