Shell of the Giant Clam (Tridacna gigas) from the Red Sea reused as a container for red paint made form ochre (iron oxide), plant oil and plant gum, a similar recipe to that used in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Thebes. Egyptians often used natural objects to store paint and cosmetics, such as in this case a shell. The paint found in this shell could have been used by draughtsmen to sketch out guidelines of carvings for stonemasons as well as to detail rough outlines of figures on tomb walls.