Eye-paint palette in the shape of a fish

The shape of this palette has all the characteristics of the Tilapia fish - the bulging upturned mouth, the operculum, the long dorsal fin, and the pelvic, anal, and caudal fins. The eyes were drilled as a small flat depression to receive an inlay of bone which is now missing. The upper side has been decorated with scenes in relief. In the middle is a ring with a scale pattern which surrounds the grinding area of the palette. Through use, this grinding area has deepened slightly. Outside the ring are depictions of animals which live in the swamps. To the right is a fish, a stork, and a crocodile, and to the left a goose with two goslings. All are typical inhabitants of the place of origin of the palette in the Nile Delta.