Unknown Artist
It's Sunday so it's time for a piece from Ashmolean Museum collection :)
Siltstone palettes were used for the grinding of minerals to make ancient Egyptian cosmetic paints. During the late Predynastic and Early Dynastic periods, large and elaborately decorated palettes were created to display imagery associated with the rise of the Egyptian state.
The central reservoir of this palette bears no evidence of use, demonstrating its transition from practical piece of equipment to an object with ritual significance.
Both sides of the palette are carved with a frenzy of wild animals. The tongues of mythical ‘serpopards’ (felines with long snaking necks) work at the flesh of a fallen gazelle, hyena dogs roam around their necks, on the reverse a jackal-headed figure plays a flute, while a giraffe and an ibex prance to the music.
These palettes’ ceremonial function remains unknown, but the powerful decorative themes suggest that they may have been created to ensure or commemorate a successful event.