The Hunters' Palette: cosmetic-palette
- Gallery: Room 64
- Culture: Naqada III
- Object type: cosmetic-palette
- Materials: mudstone
- Museum number: EA20792
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
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About this object
This is "The Hunters' Palette," a fragment of a stone object from ancient Egypt, dating to the Naqada III period. Carved from grey mudstone, it was likely used for grinding cosmetics, as the center has a shallow depression similar to functional palettes.
The carved side shows scenes of hunting and combat. Warriors, dressed in short kilts with animal tails and feathered headdresses, pursue animals like lions, gazelles, and hartebeests. Some wield bows, spears, and maces, while others seem to carry shields or bags. A wounded lion appears to chase a man, adding drama to the scene.
Notice the finely carved details, including the chisel-edged flint arrowheads and intricate surface scratches left from carving. At the palette’s wide end, two unusual items stand out—a shrine and a mythical creature formed from two buffalo foreparts. These elements have fascinated scholars for years. This fragment is part of a larger artifact displayed in pieces across different museums, with a cast from the Louvre.
See it in person
The Hunters' Palette: cosmetic-palette is on display in Room 64 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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