Cosmetic Vessel Phoenician 700-650 BC Found in Italy Tridacna squamosa shell carved with a human head on the apex and two incised winged sphinxes in a register on the edge of the inner side; lotus buds and flowers in the space above the sphinxes with a band of hatched or plain triangles framed by parallel lines defining the inner edge of the field; assembled from fragments; the shell served as a container for cosmetics. Source: British Museum