Rhomboid Cosmetic Palette

Possible OriginNaqada, Egypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodPredynastic, Nagada I

Date4000-3500 BCE

MediumSlate/Phyllite

Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

Dimensions8 7/16 x 3 3/8 x 3/8 in., 230 g (21.5 x 8.6 x 1 cm, 8 1/8 oz.)

Object number2018.010.069

Label TextStone cosmetic palettes were used to grind minerals for eyepaint. These palettes were usually buried with a grinding pebble and a bag of minerals like galena for black. Early palettes were geometric and later took animal form.
Exhibition HistoryLife and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
Published ReferencesMelinda K. Hartwig, ed., Life and The Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 61.

ProvenanceEx coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California, purchased from Galerie d'Archeologie de la Côte d’Azur, France.

Status

Not on view

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