Before paper was invented and made affordable, it was a common practice in the ancient Mediterranean cultures such as Egypt and Greece to use limestone fragments or terracotta potshards as “paper.” Ostraca (singular, ostracon) found in Egypt have come down to us as documents of commercial and household records, private and literary writings, visual vignettes, and even political or social comments. This figured ostracon provides a fascinating window into an ancient Egyptian artist’s use of a flake of limestone, with the additional aid of a reed and ink, as a tablet for preliminary sketches. One side depicts a royal figurine making incense to Amun-Ra (“the king of the gods”) while the other side a regal lion seated on its haunches.