The Egyptians of Antiquity gave to the principal colors a value symbolic system resulting from the perception which they had of the natural phenomena in correlation with these colors: yellow of the sun, green of the vegetation, black of the fertile ground, the blue of the sky or red of the desert.

For religious painting, the priests authorized generally only one limited number of colors: white, black, three basic colors (red, yellow and blue) like their combinations (green, brown, pink and gray). Painting is done by flat tint of color; only the Period amarnienne will derogate from this rule by proposing subtle ranges.

Code colors

White

The white color ( hedj ) is the symbol of the joy and ostentation, but also of the ritual purity necessary for the worship. She points out the color of the dawn, the light which triumphs over the darkness. She also represents the white gold whose flesh and bones of the gods are made. The white is also the color of the crown of High-Egypt, the hedjet , which is encased in the red crown of Low-Egypt to form the Pschent. The white is also the color of the strips which surrounds the mummy and by extension, that of mourning.

The white could be obtained starting from the natural Cérusite or of the Sulfate of calcium