Most Egyptian art was painted, as you will see in Painting and Pigments. Its colors followed rules too, building on the conventions of drawing, and each color could carry meaning.
Key idea
Colors carried meaning: black for fertile soil and rebirth, green for growth and new life, red for energy or danger, gold for the flesh of the gods.
| Color | Linked with |
|---|---|
| Black | the dark Nile mud, fertility and rebirth; Egypt was kmt, the Black Land |
| Green | growing plants, freshness, new life |
| Red | the desert (dšrt, the Red Land), energy, fire and danger; also Seth |
| Gold and yellow | the sun and the flesh of the gods, which never decays |
| Blue | the sky and the water; the gods’ hair was said to be of lapis lazuli |
| White | purity, linen, silver |
Why it works
The meanings came from Egypt’s land. The flood left black mud in which crops grew green; the desert beyond was red and dangerous. So black and green stood for life and rebirth, red for both power and threat. Gold does not tarnish, so it suited the gods’ eternal bodies. Osiris, the god who rose again, is often painted with black or green skin for this reason.
Some colors were conventions of figure drawing. Men were usually painted with reddish-brown skin and women with lighter, yellowish skin. This was a rule of the art, not a portrait of anyone’s real skin. Scribes wrote headings in red ink and the rest in black.
Worked example: Reading Osiris
Why is Osiris often green?
- Green is the color of growing plants.
- Osiris died and came back to life.
- His color shows rebirth.
Answer: Green stands for new life.
Worked example: Red and danger
In some papyri, the name of the serpent Apep is written in red. Why?
- Red could mark danger.
- Apep was the enemy of the sun.
- Red sets the hostile name apart.
Answer: Red marks a dangerous being.
Common mistake
Thinking black skin on Osiris shows his origin. Black and green showed rebirth and the fertile soil. Quick check: ask what the color meant in Egypt, not what it means today.