Palette – zoomorphic, antelope (?) PAL-0032
By Droux, Xavier
Archaeological site unknown.
1909 : Bought at Casire, Cairo.Brussels, Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, E.2825.
Date : Uncertain (Naqada II ?)
Material : Greywacke
Preservation : Almost complete
Preservation information :
Tip of front leg broken off.
Description
The palette has a mostly ovoid shape with added stylised zoomorphic details. The animal is shown standing, with its head raised. A small hole is drilled through the back, likely for attaching a string or thong.
Decoration
The indentification of the animal represented is uncertain, as is the authenticity of the palette. The short legs, carved without any detail, clearly indicate that a quadruped was intended. However, the absence of horns on the head makes it impossible to dtermine which antelope species was meant, or if it was a different species altogether.
The details of the head are limited to the eyes, indicated by a small depression drilled on each side, and a rather pointy, 'beak'-like muzzle that hardly protrudes from the head. The neck is rather wide, as if suggesting the presence of a mane (?). There is a marked hump on the back before the junction with the neck.
Dimensions (cm)
6.1
12.4
0.6
Additional information
Acknowledgements
We thank Dirk Huyge for facilitating the study of this artefact.