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Palette in the Form of a Turtle
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit linePalette in the Form of a Turtle, c. 3500–3050 BCE. Egypt, Predynastic (5000–2950 BCE), Naqada IIa–IIIa (3650–3000 BCE). Graywacke; overall: 7.8 cm (3 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund, 1989.47
