An Ancient Egyptian Painter's Palette

Ancient Egyptian wall paintings provide a fascinating glimpse into the past. In tombs it was the painter's task to preserve the dead individual's spirit. Most tomb art generally followed consistent rules and held special meaning to the ancient Egyptians. The front and profile viewpoints depicted in a single human figure are one of the most characteristic features of Egyptian art. This is reminiscent of the fact that the ancient Egyptians saw the world in terms of dualities: life and death, flood and drought, good and bad. These composite images of the most recognisable parts of the human body were more detailed than a realistic pose and assisted the tomb owner’s ka (spirit) to recognise its body. Our stimulus is a painter's palette used to compose such wall paintings: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544518