Palette in the shape of a fish

Hand patinated reproduction. Mold made from a print of the original work.

The ancient Egyptians of Pharaonic prehistory used pieces of rounded or rectangular pieces of schist to grind their eye paint. The forms evolved and became more elaborate around the proto-historic period, ending in shield-shaped palettes decorated with bird heads at the top.

This example, in the shape of a fish, is incised with lines to mark the dorsal fin, and the eye is encrusted with a piece of shell.

These palettes seem to have disappeared from the 1st Dynasty onwards (towards 3300 B.C.) and their originally utilitarian purpose was subsequently replaced by a ritual role.
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