Recreating the Palette of Amenhotep III: A Journey Through Ancient Egyptian Art
- Aletheia Acuarelas
- Mar 14
- 6 min read
Hello! With just two weeks to go before pre-orders open (March 30, 2025) for the replica of Amenhotep III’s palette, today I want to tell you the story of the original palette, which is currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and how I’ve created a fully functional replica that allows you to paint like a scribe from Ancient Egypt, more than 3,000 years ago.
But before we dive into the palette itself, let me give you a brief overview of who Pharaoh Amenhotep III—also known as Amenophis III—was.
AMENHOTEP III: THE PHARAOH OF SPLENDOR
Amenhotep III (reigned approx. 1390–1352 BCE) was the ninth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, during Egypt’s New Kingdom, one of the most prosperous and powerful periods in Ancient Egyptian history.
🌟 A Reign of Peace and Prosperity
Unlike many pharaohs, Amenhotep III is not mainly remembered for military conquests, but for the stability, wealth, and grandeur of his rule. Egypt enjoyed a time of international peace and economic prosperity, thanks to alliances with other great kingdoms like Mitanni, Babylon, and the Hittite Empire.
🏛️ Architecture and Art
His reign saw an unprecedented artistic and architectural boom. He commissioned numerous temples, statues, and monuments, including:
The Temple of Luxor, begun under his rule and later expanded by Ramses II
The Palace of Malqata, his residence on the west bank of Thebes
The Colossi of Memnon, two colossal statues still standing today
His refined taste helped shape a more elegant and naturalistic Egyptian art style.
✍️ Diplomacy and Global Prestige
Amenhotep III strengthened foreign relations through diplomatic marriages—he wed foreign princesses and received embassies bearing exotic gifts. His image as a divine king was promoted abroad, securing his prestige across the Near East.
🧬 Father of Akhenaten
He was the father of Akhenaten, the famous religious reformer who introduced the monotheistic worship of Aten. Some historians believe Amenhotep III had already begun implementing religious changes that his son would later expand.
THE STORY OF THE PALETTE
The artist’s palette inscribed with the name of Amenhotep III is an object from Egypt’s New Kingdom, dated to approx. 1390–1352 BCE. It was carved from a single piece of ivory, measuring 17.5 cm long, 4.4 cm wide, and 0.9 cm thick. It features six oval wells containing traces of pigments such as blue, green, brown, yellow, red, and black. At one end, an oval cartouche encloses the throne name of Amenhotep III, Nebmaatre, along with the epithet “beloved of Re”.
This artifact likely originated in Thebes, Upper Egypt, and is currently on display in Gallery 119 of the MET in New York. It was acquired by Lord Carnarvon before 1923 and became part of the museum’s collection in 1926 after his death.
Palettes like this were essential tools for artists in Ancient Egypt, used to mix and store pigments for decorating tombs, temples, and ritual objects. The inscription suggests that the piece may have belonged to a royal court artist or was a ceremonial gift during Amenhotep’s reign.
RECREATING THE ORIGINAL PALETTE
I began working on this historical reconstruction at the end of 2023. It was a fascinating journey researching the palette’s origin, dimensions, and especially the original pigments. Through extensive study of MET publications and archaeological sources, I gathered everything needed to create a faithful and fully usable replica.
My goal wasn’t to make a decorative piece, but a palette that could function exactly as it did 3,300 years ago—to paint.
That’s why the pigments had to be carefully sourced and processed to make watercolor cakes, just like in the original palette. The pigments were mixed with a water-soluble binder, replicating ancient techniques.
the PIGMENTs
The palette has six wells, each originally containing a different color. Studies show that Egyptian scribes generally wrote using only black and red ochre, but this palette includes four additional colors, confirming it was intended for painting, not just writing.
Painting wasn’t a separate profession back then, and artists didn’t paint “canvases” as we do today. Some worked in the royal court, others in organized artisan communities, like in Deir el-Medina, where the tomb builders of the Valley of the Kings lived. These artists decorated important spaces like palaces and tombs. For this reason, it’s likely the original palette belonged to a court artist, which explains why the pharaoh’s name is inscribed on it.
🔵 EGYPTIAN BLUE
Perhaps the most iconic color in Ancient Egyptian art, Egyptian blue was the first synthetic pigment ever created. Made by heating sand, lime, copper, and natron, it produced a vivid blue glass-like material used in murals, statues, and funerary items. It symbolized the sky, the Nile, and eternity.
The pigment I used is authentic Egyptian blue, identical to what the ancient Egyptians used. It was hard to find—only sold in specialty shops for historical pigments—but I insisted on the real thing.
🟢 MALACHITE GREEN
A natural mineral pigment, malachite was ground into a fine powder used in murals, cosmetics, and ritual art. Its rich green hue symbolized life, fertility, and regeneration.
🟤 EARTH BROWN
Made from iron- and manganese-rich clay, this earth tone was ideal for depicting skin tones, clothing, architecture, and daily life. It symbolized the fertile Nile soil and earthly stability.
🟡 YELLOW OCHRE
A naturally occurring clay pigment rich in iron hydroxides, yellow ochre represented the sun, gold, and the divine. It was used for skin tones of gods and for decorative highlights in murals and statues.
🔴 RED OCHRE
Derived from hematite, red ochre was associated with life, energy, and blood, but also with the desert and chaos in certain contexts. It was a key pigment in tomb and temple art.
⚫ VINE BLACK
A fine carbon pigment created by charring vine twigs in an oxygen-free environment. Used for outlines and hieroglyphs, black symbolized fertility, protection, and rebirth.
MAKING THE REPLICA
The original palette was ivory—a material now banned and ethically problematic. I initially considered wood, but it wasn’t suitable for water contact. Eventually, I found Óscar, a Madrid-based sculptor, who suggested polyurethane resin, which has an ivory-like finish and is water-resistant.
He used 3D printing and sculpting techniques to create a base that I then finished manually: filing, washing, drying, painting, and hand-painting the hieroglyphic details with surgeon-like precision 😁.
I also formulated each pigment recipe from scratch, testing drying times and consistency for each. The drying process is natural and weather-dependent.
Once the colors are dry, each palette is wrapped in branded parchment paper and placed inside a custom felt case, lined with padded velvet and secured with elastic bands.
Once the colors are completely dry, I proceed to process each palette to have it ready for its case. Before placing it inside, I wrap it in parchment paper with the Aletheia Acuarelas logo to provide extra protection and ensure it is nicely presented.
The case is made of soft felt on the outside, and on the inside it has a padded velvet lining that helps absorb any impact the palette might suffer during transport. In addition to this, the palette is secured with two elastic bands built into the case, which help keep the piece even more firmly in place.
final touches
The palette and case are then placed inside a magnetic flap box, padded with paper shavings for added protection. Each palette comes with:
A booklet about the palette’s history
A care tips card
A certificate of authenticity
A genuine papyrus handmade in Egypt using ancient techniques
how to reserve your palette?
📌 The reservation process is simple: visit the palette’s page in the shop (click here), and once pre-orders are open, just click “Buy”. You’ll pay the full price upon reservation.
🗓️ Pre-orders run from March 30 to April 6, 2025. You can activate an availability alert on the same page to receive an email once it’s live.
Each palette is made to order, with a minimum lead time of 1 month. You'll receive email updates throughout the process.
📦 There are two shipping options—both are tracked, but one includes insurance. For international or Canary Islands shipping, email me at 📧 aletheiaacuarelas@gmail.com.
🎁 If it’s a gift, let me know—I’ll package it with special care and can ship it to a different address.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me or message me on Instagram. I’ll be happy to help!
Thank you for reading, and for supporting a project filled with love, research, and passion for Ancient Egyptian art.
Warmly,Alicia Rodríguez – Aletheia Acuarelas
Comentarios