Figured Ostracon

Figured Ostracon. Sketch of a common crane, an Egyptian vulture, and a hound possibly basenji. Ink on Limestone. Dim: 18 x 18 cm. Ramesside Period, ca. 1200 BC. Vicinity of tomb KV18, Valley of the Kings, Thebes. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 46732 - This probably a series of trial sketches, not an integrated composition, and the subjects were sketched independently. Ostraca (limestone blocks) were often used by Egyptian artists for preliminary drawings, and no doubt by students of painting and sculpture.