Scribe's Palette

AAT Object Form/Functionpalettes (painting equipment)

(not assigned)Egypt

CultureEgyptian

PeriodOld Kingdom

Date2543-2120 BCE

MediumWood

Credit LineEgyptian Purchase Fund

Dimensions14 7/16 x 1 7/8 in. (36.7 x 4.8 cm)

Object number2002.033.001

Label TextThe ancient Egyptians called hieroglyphs medu-netjer or “sacred words.” The ancient Egyptian writing kit was composed of a palette, often made of wood, with a slot for storing reed pens. The palette’s round wells held red and black pigments. Red ocher and lamp or bone black were finely ground using a mortar and a pestle. Plant gum or animal glue was added to the pigment to make it easier to spread. The scribal palette was also an important symbol of office that relayed the owner’s ability to read and write.
Exhibition HistoryFrom Pharaohs to Emperors: New Egyptian and Classical Antiquities at Emory, Michael C. Carlos Museum, January 14 - April 2, 2006
Life and Death in the Pyramid Age: The Emory Old Kingdom Mummy, Michael C. Carlos Museum, September 10 - December 11, 2011
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, May 14, 2013 - September 23, 2022
Life and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, February 27, 2024 - Present
Published ReferencesMCCM Newsletter, December 2002 - February 2003.
Melinda K. Hartwig, ed. Life and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 3.

ProvenancePurchased by MCCM from Charles Ede Ltd., London, England.

Status

On view

Collections