The History of the Colour Blue: Egyptian Blue

The colour blue is everywhere you look in art. It is the sky, water, fabric, the colour of purity and new life. In this series of articles, I will explore the history, origins, and cultural significance of the colour blue. Blue is, consistently, the most popular colour within art, so it seems only right to gain a better understanding of its complex history.

The colour blue was connected to the sky, water and rebirth, and therefore was strongly connected to divinity

So, let’s start with one of the earliest uses of this colour: Egyptian Blue. The Egyptian Blue pigment was discovered in ancient Egypt in the Early Bronze Age, around 3100 BCE, and is said to be the earliest example of an artificial pigment. Egyptian Blue was created by heating a combination of sand, limestone, a source of copper, and an alkali at extremely high temperatures (approximately 800-1000°C). It is the oxidisation of the copper source which produces its brilliant blue colour, which retains its vibrancy throughout time. Before the creation of this artificial pigment, blue was sourced from precious minerals such as lapis lazuli, which was imported from Afghanistan, so the creation of Egyptian Blue served as a less expensive alternative.

Precious blue minerals were highly valued by ancient Egyptians, not just because of their monetary value. The colour blue was connected to the sky, water and rebirth, and therefore was strongly connected to divinity. It was also believed that the gods had blue hair, made from lapis lazuli, which reinforces the colour’s divine, cerebral quality. As Egyptian Blue made this highly valued colour much more accessible, this pigment became extremely popular for the decoration of tombs, paintings, pottery, jewellery, sculptures, and much more.

Additionally, the spiritual nature of this colour was thought to maintain balance and symbolised power and stability, qualities which are radiant in the depicted gods

An example of ancient Egyptian artwork, which depicts gods and Egyptian Blue pigment, is a painting from the tomb of Horemheb. Horemheb was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who had served as a commander of Tutankhamen’s army. He was buried in a royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings, and its interior included a painting that depicts Horemheb’s journey to the afterlife with the gods: Anubis (the god of mummification), Osiris (the god of resurrection), and Horus (the god of the sky and protection).

Blue pigment is abundant in this scene, covering the background, the gods’ hair, and their clothes. As the colour blue was associated with the heavens, water, and divinity, perhaps the pigment is used to symbolise the cyclical aspect of life and nature, especially since the god of resurrection is present. The ancient Egyptians strongly believed in rebirth and resurrection, which suggests that this tomb was covered in the divine colour to send Horemheb off to his new life. Additionally, the spiritual nature of this colour was thought to maintain balance and symbolised power and stability, qualities which are radiant in the depicted gods.

Since the ancient Egyptian period, Egyptian Blue has become a highly intriguing pigment. It was popular with the Greeks and Romans, who utilised the pigment in artistic endeavours such as mosaics and paintings. However, after the collapse of the Roman Empire, Egyptian Blue seemed to disappear. As the expertise and knowledge surrounding the creation of the Egyptian Blue pigment was thought to be oral and localised, the breakdown of craft networks led to the disappearance of the pigment, as it was no longer manufactured.

This unique characteristic means that Egyptian Blue is scientifically useful and it is now used for things such as biomedical imaging, security inks, and optical sensors

However, the pigment was rediscovered in the early 19th Century by archaeologists in Italy and has been researched since. It was discovered that Egyptian Blue pigment emits luminescence in response to infrared exposure, which means that its presence can be detected in artworks without the need for invasive exploration. Using this technique, it has been revealed that Egyptian Blue was often used for the underdrawings of Greek and Roman paintings, and its use has been discovered in Egyptian artworks, even when invisible to the naked eye. Therefore, this unique characteristic means that Egyptian Blue is scientifically useful and it is now used for things such as biomedical imaging, security inks, and optical sensors.

Without the (probably accidental) creation of the Egyptian Blue pigment in Ancient Egypt, the colour blue may not have been as popular and accessible as it is today. Since Egyptian Blue, many other synthetic and natural pigments have become popular in the art world, which I will explore in further articles.