Writing board
Unknown Artist
Gessoed boards were used for writing notes or school exercises. Like the slate writing tablets of yesteryear, they could be used repeatedly, with old texts being whitewashed to provide a “clean slate” for another. This board still bears traces of earlier writing (at left). The main text is a wordy model letter that the student copied—and surely also was expected to memorize. His many spelling mistakes have been corrected in red ink by the teacher.
Credit: Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1928
c. 1981-1802 B.C.
Wood, gesso, paint
16.9 in
28.9.4
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2020
Where you'll find this
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection
