Manchester Museum, 11500

This palette  LOOKS very long and narrow, but is actually just a bit narrower than seems to be the norm--to the extent that there was a norm--for a palette of this length. I was particularly interested in the fact that there is only one inkwell, for black ink, and in the fact that the inkwell is rectangular rather than round or oval. In addition, the well slants down from the edge, creating a sloped surface. Years ago I dabbled in watercolors, and this sloped surface strikes me as an ingenious feature, useful for mixing up one's preferred proportion of water to ink. The way the well extends to the edge might also have been useful for gently removing excess ink from the brush, by dragging the brush tip over the lip. I have no idea what that groove at the top of the ramp is for. It certainly looks intentional..