Collection
/
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Palette with Two Stylized Bird Heads

ca. 3500–3100 B.C.E.

1 of 5

Object Label

The Egyptians ground galena and mixed it with animal fat to make the eyeliner called kohl. Palettes like this one are known from earliest times in Egypt and were used as a base for the grinding process.

Caption

Palette with Two Stylized Bird Heads, ca. 3500–3100 B.C.E.. Greywacke, 5 1/16 x 3/8 x 11 5/8 in. (12.9 x 1.0 x 29.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.580.126. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Palette with Two Stylized Bird Heads

Date

ca. 3500–3100 B.C.E.

Period

Predynastic Period, late Naqada II to Naqada III

Geography

Place collected: Gebelein, Egypt

Medium

Greywacke

Classification

Cosmetic

Dimensions

5 1/16 x 3/8 x 11 5/8 in. (12.9 x 1.0 x 29.5 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour

Accession Number

16.580.126

Have information?

Have information about an artwork? Contact us at

bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.