How did they make the blue color?
That brilliant blue is a mineral (especially copper)-based glaze applied to white faience (quartz-based paste) and fired at a high temperature. This glazing method was seen as a cheaper, synthetic alternative to precious stones like lapis lazuli and turquoise.
You will see many blue toned objects in these galleries - the lighter shade of blue was almost interchangeable with green, the color of the sea, plants, vegetation, and thus health and life. The darker shade of blue was associated with the dark primordial waters out of which creation first appeared, as well as the night sky through which the sun-god travelled to be reborn every morning.
Wow. How did the vase get this rich blue color?
That is made of a really interesting material called faience, considered by Egyptologists as the first high-tech ceramic. The material is made of pure ground quartz, which has a dazzling, white look to it, which is why the ancient Egyptians called it tjehenet (dazzling). The quartz would have several other ingredients added to it; a small part of lime or calcium oxide and soda, all found in the rich desert sands and quarries in their landscape. These ingredients were either added to it before firing in the kiln, so that the beautiful blue would rise to the surface, or it would be put in a vessel of this powder so it would be coated from the outside while fired. Faience is glazed in many different shades of green and blue, which you'll see throughout the galleries.
The description says 'blue faience with black painted details'. What is faience?
Faience is a really interesting material created by the Egyptians, some scholars have called it the first "high-tech" ceramic! Give me a moment to type out some information on the materials and production.
The primary material is pure silica, found in the sand and ground quartz. The Egyptian word for faience is tjehenet, which means dazzling. You can imagine how sparkling the white ground silica must have been! The silica was mixed with a small amount of lime or calcium oxide, which would rise to the surface during firing and obtain this rich blue color.
You'll see other beautiful faience pieces throughout the Egyptian galleries. Each material you see tells us a story about trade, innovation, status, and even the topography of Ancient Egypt.
Faience is an amazing material. Is it still in use at all?
I'm not familiar with any major production of faience, though it may well exist. I do know that some jewelry is made from faience in Egypt, for example necklaces referred to as "mummy beads" mostly marketed toward tourists.
That makes sense.
How common is the image of a blue lotus in Egyptian Art? (I see one example in this museum).
Very common.The lotus is a symbol of birth and rebirth on which the Creator solar deity first appeared in the Nun, the formless ocean within which the universe was created.
Got it, thank you.
