blue color, Egyptian-Blue, blue pigment, blue ḫsbḏ, cuprorivaite

Ingredients

cuprorivaite, parawollastonite, quartz

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The production of Egyptian blue involves the synthesis of specific minerals. According to footnote 58 (p. 51), it is a synthetic pigment requiring the presence of 'cuprorivaite and parawollastonite, fired with quartz at different temperatures'. The dark blue variety, specifically identified as cuprorivaite (CaCuSi4O10), was a product of 'great luxury' and 'highly expensive' to produce, especially before the end of the V Dynasty, though its usage expanded in the New Kingdom (p. 51). Footnote 67 (p. 52) notes it is possible the color was produced directly on-site at Beth-Shean.

Evidence

"The most indicative feature of the building... is the presence of inscribed doorjambs and lintels, some of which were originally painted with a blue color."

Remarks

The paper discusses the symbolic and functional role of blue pigment in the Egyptian 'Residence' Building 1500 at Beth-Shean. Blue was associated with 'regeneration and rebirth', which is why it is frequently found in funerary contexts, although its use in domestic/administrative residences like Building 1500 is rare and indicative of high status (p. 51). The inscriptions on doorjambs and lintels were 'originally filled with blue' (p. 43), creating a 'polychromic context' when combined with red and orange decoration lines found on block A-5 (p. 44). Footnote 66 (p. 52) explicitly identifies the pigment as cuprorivaite via SEM. The use of blue served a protective function, as motifs in palaces acted as 'talismans to guard against the entry of chaotic forces' (p. 52).