Art Materials used in Ancient Egypt
Click a link for additional information and interesting facts about subjects relating to Art Materials or other aspects of daily life, the people and places of ancient Egypt.

All about Ancient Egyptians

Egyptian Art & Architecture

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials used to create the Six Basic Colors
The ancient Egyptians used six basic colors in varying shades of white, black, red, yellow, blue and green and utilised their natural resources to build fantastic monuments such as the Pyramids, Obelisks, Temples and tombs. And create their paints and dyes for their art, hieroglyphics, talismans, amulets, jewelry and artefacts.

Ancient Egyptian Art

Art Materials - Natural Resources used in Ancient Egypt to create different Colors
Various forms of plant dyes and mineral compounds were used for creating the different colors and art materials used in ancient Egypt. Plant dyes tend to fade with time but the dyes made from mineral compounds were extremely durable which is why tomb and temple paintings retained their vibrant colors over thousands of years. Dry pigments used to create their art materials were prepared by crushing various substances in a mortar or on a grinding palette with a stone pestle which were then mixed with a water-soluble gum or egg white to bind them. The sources of dyes and pigments in the periods known as the Old Kingdom(2686 to 2181 B.C), Middle Kingdom (2134 - 1782 B.C.) and the New Kingdom (1550 to 1070 B.C.) were carbon, calcium carbonate and gypsum, blue frit, malachite and ochre. Realgar, orpiment and green frit were not generally used until the time period of the New Kingdom.

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials used for Writing - Papyrus and Hieroglyphics
The ancient Egyptian art materials include the items required by scribes to create the hieroglyphic writing on papyrus. Papyrus was made from the stems of the papyrus reed called cyperus papyrus. The stems of the papyrus plant were stripped and soaked, beaten flat and then laid on top of each other in a criss-cross pattern. For longer texts papyrus sheets were attached together to form papyrus scrolls. Every scribe in ancient Egypt had a 'writing kit' consisting of various art materials. Reed pens were used for writing and stored in a bag which was attached by flax cord to a container for water as illustrated in the following picture, which also shows the hieroglyphic symbol for a scribe. Also attached to the scribes 'writing kit' was a palette for ink which was usually red and black but blue, green, white and yellow colors were also used requiring additional types of art materials. The art materials and natural resources used to create black ink were made by burning organic materials such as wood or oil, and then pulverizing the material before mixing it with water and a binder made from a plant gum from the Acacia tree. The art materials and natural resources used to create red ink were the earth pigment iron oxide. The mineral iron gives the ink its red color.

Art Materials - The different Colors and Shades used in ancient Egypt
The following links provide comprehensive facts and information about the each of the colors, the art materials required to create individual colors and the color symbolism and significance to the ancient Egyptians. Ancient Egyptian Art materials were made from natural resources in order to create the Colors of Ancient Egypt.

The Color Redand its shades were Red Lead, Red Ochre, Madder lake and Kermes (Carmine) lake.

The Color Yellowand its shades were Orpiment, Lead Antimonite, Yellow Ochre, Ochre, Realgar and Gold.

The Color Blue and its shades were Egyptian Blue, Azurite, Lapis Lazuli and Indigo.

The Color Black and its shades were ivory black and lamp black

Colors of Ancient Egypt
 

Facts about Ancient Egyptian Art Materials and Natural Resources
The following fact sheet provides interesting facts about the art materials and natural resources used to create the hieroglyphs and paintings created by the ancient Egyptians.

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials & Natural Resources Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on Art Materials: The most famous of all synthetic pigments made in Ancient Egypt is still known today as Egyptian Blue.

Fact 2 on Art Materials: Egyptian Blue was created by heating quartz (desert sand), calcium (limestone), small amounts of alkali (plant ash, potash, or the desert salt 'natron') and copper carbonate (malachite).

Fact 3 on Art Materials: Blue: Indigo and some other shades of blue came from either the indigo plant or from woad. The paint used for the color was made from copper silica, calcium, powdered azurite and lapis

Fact 4 on Art Materials: Red: One of the main red lake pigments used in Ancient Egypt was produced from the dried bodies of female insects from the family Coccidae, genus Kermes. Kermes is vivid red color, now known as carmine.

Fact 5 on Art Materials: Red: Another red lake pigment used in Ancient Egypt was madder. Madder was the red dye extracted from the root of the madder plant. Alizarin is a pigment extracted from madder and evidence of this was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen.

Fact 6 on Art Materials: Yellow: Realgar, an arsenic sulphide was used to create a bright red-orange pigment. Realgar, which we now consider to be an orange color, would have been classed as yellow by the ancient Egyptians. This sounds strange but the color of 'orange' did not enter our language until the fruit arrived in Europe from China during the Middle Ages.

Fact 7 on Art Materials: Yellow: The chemical compounds used to create dyes and pigments to produce the color included iron-based ochre (iron oxide), jarosite and orpiment (arsenic trisulphide)

Fact 8 on Art Materials: Yellow: Jarosite is a light yellow pigment that was used from the period known as the Old Kingdom (2686 to 2181 B.C)

Fact 9 on Art Materials: Yellow: Ochres were derived from Egyptian clays containing metal oxides and included hematite and limonite

Fact 10 on Art Materials: Yellow: Orpiment is an arsenic sulfide that was used to produce a intense golden-yellow pigments and dyes.

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials Fact Sheet

Art Materials
Learn about Art Materials the fast and easy way via the Art Materials Fact sheet.

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials Fact Sheet

Fact 11 on Art Materials: Yellow: Lead Antimonite, a pale yellow pigment, was created by heating Lead white with antimony oxide.

Fact 12 on Art Materials: Green: Verdigris was created by corroding copper plate, a slow and arduous process to obtain a blue-green pigment.

Fact 13 on Art Materials: Green: The color green used as a paint was made from malachite (a natural copper ore) or from a paste manufactured by mixing oxides of copper and iron with silica and calcium.

Fact 14 on Art Materials: Red: The plants used to create red dyes and pigments included madder, alkanet and henna plants.

Fact 15 on Art Materials: Yellow: The plants used to create dyes and pigments to produce the color included henna, chamomile and safflower.

Fact 16 on Art Materials: Green: The chemical compounds used to create dyes and pigments to produce the color included malachite, a natural copper ore, verdigris a blue or green powder used as a paint pigment, green frit and chrysocolla a hydrated copper silicate mineral.

Fact 17 on Art Materials: Green: Synthetic material, or frits, were used to produce pigments and dyes. Paint color was frequently made from malachite (a natural copper ore) or from a paste manufactured by mixing oxides of copper and iron with silica and calcium.

Fact 18 on Art Materials: Red: The chemical compounds used to create dyes and pigments to produce the color red included oxidized iron, red ochre, red clay and realgar which was an arsenic sulfide mineral that is also known as "ruby sulphur".

Fact 19 on Art Materials: Green: Frit was crushed to make pigments or shaped to create objects. It served as an intermediate material in the manufacture of raw glass. Frit, like malachite was also used as a pigment. Frits, glasses and faience are all similar materials.

Fact 20 on Art Materials: Yellow: The paint color was made frequently made from yellow ochre.

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials Fact Sheet

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about the art materials and  natural resources used in ancient Egypt with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages. Find fascinating fun facts about the art materials and  natural resources for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about the the art materials and  natural resources for research, schools, students and kids of all ages via the following Fact sheet.

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials Fact Sheet

Fact 21 on Art Materials: Green: Chrysocolla is a hydrated copper silicate mineral, a minor ore of copper.

Fact 22 on Art Materials: Black: A velvety black color was created from the soot produced by oil lamps, now known as lamp black, or by roasting crushed ivory now known as ivory black, a warm, slightly brownish-black.

Fact 23 on Art Materials: Black: Black paint and ink was made from carbon compounds such as charcoal mixed with animal fat. Dyes and pigments used to produce the color included soot, charcoal, or bone black made from burnt animal bones.

Fact 24 on Art Materials: White: The chemical compounds used to create dyes and pigments to produce the color white included calcium carbonate, huntite (magnesium calcium carbonate) and calcium sulphate (gypsum).

Fact 25 on Art Materials: White: Alabaster is a variety of the translucent, milky white mineral gypsum which was used to carve beads or statues and the sacred tools used during the process of mummification. Canopic jars were also made of alabaster.

Fact 26 on Art Materials: White: Calcite is a translucent, white mineral, the principal component of limestone and marble and was often used as material for beads or ornamental stones for inlays.

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials Fact Sheet

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about Art Materials for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about Art Materials for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about Art Materials for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

Ancient Egyptian Art Materials