2. Synthetic blue
The Egyptians loved the precious stones lapis and turquoise so much that they invented the first synthetic blue pigment in order to affordably copy their unique color. “Egyptian blue” was made by mixing silica, lime, copper, and alkali, and it could be used on stone, wood, plaster, papyrus and canvas. The many decorative objects that have survived until today attest to the presence of blue in Egyptian life.
This blue-painted pot made during the Eighteenth Dynasty (c. 1543–1292 BCE) is just one of the hundreds of “Egyptian blue” artifacts that can be found on Google Arts & Culture.
