Fish-Shaped Cosmetic Palette
Fish-Shaped Cosmetic Palette
Place of OriginEgypt
DatePredynastic Period, about 4000-3200 BCE
Dimensions3 3/8 × 5 5/8 × 1/8 in. (8.6 × 14.3 × 0.3 cm)
MediumGreywacke.
ClassificationUtilitarian Objects
Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1972.12
On View
Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic
DescriptionCarved in the form of a long-bodied fish with an incised tail and gill markings. The surface is polished, and a small hole near the dorsal fin suggests suspension. The eye is drilled through, and the body is symmetrically flanked with fluted incisions to suggest fins.
Label TextThis fish-shaped stone palette was made over 5,000 years ago, during Egypt’s Predynastic Naqada II period (about 3600–3300 BCE). It represents a Nile tilapia, a fish known for its role in the river’s ecosystem and its ability to reproduce quickly. Ancient Egyptians connected tilapia with rebirth and protection—qualities that made this shape especially meaningful. Palettes like this were once thought to be simple tools for grinding green eye paint, but many, including this one, have small holes suggesting they were also worn, hung, or used in rituals. No traces of pigment remain, but fish palettes are strongly linked with green malachite, a mineral associated with life and renewal. Found in both rich and modest burials—including those of children—these palettes likely held symbolic power, not just cosmetic use.Published References"Recent accessions...;" Art Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 4, 1972, p. 435.
"Treasures for Toledo," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, vol 19, no. 2 and 3, 1976, p. 43, repr.
Peck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 28, repr. (col.).
Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, The Egypt Experience: Secrets of the Tomb, 2010-2012
Second century BCE to first century CE, possibly later
3rd-4th century CE
Second century BCE to first century CE, possibly later
Second half of 15th -- 14th century BCE
Old Akkadian period (ca. 2340–2200 BCE)
1st century BCE - 3rd century CE
Edo Period (1615-1868)
1st century BCE - 3rd century CE
Membership
Become a TMA member today
Support TMA
Help support the TMA mission