Paint Like An Egyptian!
![An ancient Egyptian painting of a falcon-headed god being approached by a man holding a vessel](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/41bf2d8cd698495e643ab62235bb7d293fcb5e4c-760x438.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Stela of a man called Aafenmut (detail), ca. 924–889 B.C. From Egypt. Wood, paint, gesso, 9 1/16 x 7 3/16 x 1 3/8 in. (23 x 18.2 x 3.5 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1928 (28.3.35)
How did ancient Egyptians create dazzling paintings? Examples can be found on the walls of their palaces, tombs, and temples, and they also painted on objects, such as stelae (carved or painted slabs of stone or wood) or coffins. But how, and with what, did they make these colorful images? Let’s explore the process, and then try making your own tools for painting!
![Left: a detail of a painting on an ancient Egyptian wooden coffin featuring eyes surrounded by ornate patterns and objects. Right: an ancient Egyptian box featuring a painting of two pharaohs facing to the right.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/3d6959a3336a579c739d4888e41f081877101088-760x366.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Two examples of paintings on wooden objects from ancient Egypt. Left: Coffin of Khnumnakht (detail), ca. 1802–1640 B.C. From Egypt. Wood, paint, 81 11/16 x 20 3/8 x 26 3/4 in. (207.5 x 51.8 x 68 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1915 (15.2.2a, b) | Right: Shabti box of Paramnekhu, ca. 1279–1213 B.C. From Egypt. Wood, gesso, paint, 11 1/4 x 8 1/4 x 6 5/16 in. (28.5 x 20.9 x 16 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Funds from various donors, 1886 (86.1.14a-c)
Let's start with the paint itself. In ancient Egypt, pigments—the materials which give paints their color—were mostly made from minerals that were gathered or dug from the earth. They were ground down to a fine powder and then mixed with a binder (something to hold it all together) such as gum Arabic. Here are some of the most common pigment materials used in ancient Egypt:
![A collage of six photographs of minerals of different colors which were used to make pigments, arranged in a grid.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/8921025c118ecdea8b447a2adf8b926bfaeb993c-760x470.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Clockwise from top left: red ochre, image courtesy of Hilary Becker, Binghamton University; yellow ochre, image courtesy of Ruth Siddall, University College London; orpiment, image courtesy of Ruth Siddall; carbon black, image courtesy of Caroline Roberts and photographed by Randy Stegmeyer/Ann Asplund for Ancient Color, a special exhibition at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology; calcite in the form of chalk, image courtesy of Ruth Siddall and Charlie Underwood; and malachite, image courtesy of Caroline Roberts and photographed by Randy Stegmeyer/Ann Asplund for Ancient Color, a special exhibition at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
The most common blue color that you see in ancient Egyptian paintings is not found in nature. This pigment, called Egyptian blue, was made by mixing different natural ingredients together and heating them to a high temperature. You can think of it like a math problem: sand + lime + sodium carbonate + copper compound + fire = Egyptian blue.
![Left: a blue lump of paste. Right: a detail of ancient Egyptian painting of a falcon-headed god receiving a plate of snake and a bull head while a woman with a falcon stands behind.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/11312bdaa3c6c93eed8fc53191d6703e91b7c291-760x391.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Left: Lump of Egyptian blue , ca. 1479–1458 B.C. From Egypt. Paste, 3/8 x 1/4 in. (1 x 0.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1936 (36.3.202) | Right: Stela of Saiah (detail), ca. 825–712 B.C. From Egypt. Wood, gesso, paint, 9 3/8 in. (23.8 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922 (22.3.31)
This ancient painter's palette in The Met collection was carved from a single piece of ivory. Do you see the artist's leftover cakes of blue, green, brown, yellow, red, and black paint? They were made over 3000 years ago! How is this palette similar to, or different from, one you have used?
![An ancient Egyptian painter's palette, with dried cakes of paint in each compartment.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/46702094817fb9dce77764cff87ad46a63baee51-760x453.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Painter's Palette Inscribed with the Name of King Amenhotep III, ca. 1390-1353 B.C. From Egypt. Ivory, pigment, 6 7/8 x 1 3/4 x 3/8 in. (17.5 x 4.4 x .9 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926 (26.7.1294)
Ancient Egyptians painted with brushes, just like we do now. Their brushes were made out of bundles of plant materials like grasses and reeds, using a string to bind brush materials together.
![Three ancient Egyptian paint brushes against a white background.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/81ff3c9fa7e4f4ee5fa3768962a535aef4a4e330-760x411.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Ancient Egyptian paint brushes from the collection of the British Museum, London, EA36893, EA36892, and EA36889, image ©Trustees of the British Museum
Let’s make our own brushes! Here are some ideas for natural or household materials you can use to create a brush: broom bristles, dry grass, reeds, a stick with frayed ends, string, rope, straw, or anything else you can find that will hold paint!
![A photograph of twine and some small tree branches spread across a table or workbench.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/e057a8cfd9812ed4477df1d62d5fb2821955286e-1520x717.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Once you’ve gathered your brush materials, bundle them together, then bind them with something flexible like string and trim off the loose ends.
![Four small side-by-side images of sticks being bundled together with thread.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/3d1ca2f5c29b6f7e4d1d2e4418efdd192433a897-760x290.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Now that you've got your brush, it's time to paint!
![Five handmade paintbrushes built from materials like twigs and cord. One has red paint on the tip, leading to a zig-zag of red paint](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/ffc848571f4eebac09420a07b280c9c394eb775d-760x496.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Photo by Anna Serotta
The image below shows the typical steps of making a painting on wood.
![A painting made in four steps, with bare wood on the left, white gesso in the left-middle, a yellow painting with blue and green ornamentation in the right middle, and a varnished version of the painting on the right.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/1a0735aa4f27e29534335dd881e64cbff29e569b-760x282.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Photo (and painting) by Anna Serotta
First, the surface is smoothed. For wood, this sometimes means adding a layer of linen (a type of fabric) and then a layer of gesso (pronounced jeh-so). Gesso is a white material used to make a smooth surface for painting. In Egypt this was often made from the mineral gypsum mixed with glue. The artist then paints a background color followed by an outline in red or black. The colors are then filled in one by one; here red was painted first, then green, then blue. Sometimes a layer of varnish or other coating is added on top.
Next, let’s get painting. You’ll need the brushes you just made ("modern" brushes will do, too), paint of any type, and a piece of paper or wood. Now it's your turn to have fun painting like an ancient Egyptian! This is a step-by-step painting of the sun god with the head of a falcon. Do you recognize this sun god from any of the art above?
![A six panel step-by-step demonstration of a falcon-headed ancient Egyptian god being painted.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/44a88a533d146ef34b5b03f9871335f40131dd06-760x657.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Painting by Anna Serotta
Explore more Egyptian Art at #MetKids, then send your artwork to metkids@metmuseum.org for a chance to be featured on our site!
For more brush-making tips, check out these great videos made by our friends at The Fitzwilliam Museum in the United Kingdom.
Interested in chemistry? Here's a great resource to learn more about pigments and paint-making through history.
![Headshot of Anna Serotta](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/7a963c91986ffb49b4ca6f609085aa5a25402745-2010x2680.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Anna Serotta
Anna Serotta is primarily responsible for the conservation of the Egyptian Art collection. Her research interests span a broad range of topics, including stone carving technology, technical imaging and the mitigation of vibration-induced damage in the museum environment. In addition to her role in the museum, Anna has worked as an archaeological field conservator on sites in Turkey, Greece, Italy and Egypt, including at The Met’s excavation at Dahshur. Anna is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome as well as a guest lecturer at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Anna received her BA from Dartmouth College and her MA in art history and advanced certificate in art conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts Conservation Center at New York University.
Selected publications
Serotta, Anna, Lisa Bruno and Yekaterina Barbash. “The Outer Coffin of Pa-seba-khai-en-ipet. New Insights on Manufacture, History and Treatment.” In Ancient Egyptian Coffins: Past, Present, Future, edited by Helen Strudwick and Julie Dawson, 35–42. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2019.
Serotta, Anna, Julie Marie Siebert and Isabel Stünkel. “Paint Like An Egyptian!” MetKids (blog), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 20, 2020.
Smyth, Andrew, Patrick Brewick, Raphael Greenbaum, Manolis Chatzis, Anna Serotta, and Isabel Stünkel. “Vibration Mitigation and Monitoring: A Case Study of Construction in a Museum.” Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 55, no. 1 (2016): 32–55.
Julie Marie Seibert
![Headshot of Isabel Stünkel](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/cctd4ker/production/652d6bc686a5d408903ff38bc97473b36343d335-2010x2680.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Isabel Stünkel
Isabel Stünkel is an Egyptologist who holds an MA and PhD from the University of Bonn. Before joining The Met, she was the founding curator of the Egyptian Museum of the University of Bonn. Isabel is a member of The Met's excavation at the pyramid complex of Senwosret III at Dahshur, where she is working on the decoration of the royal women's chapels. Among her research interests are amulets, especially their religious significance and function, and general questions regarding human remains in museum settings. Isabel is Egyptian Art’s departmental liaison with our colleagues in Education.
Selected publications
Stünkel, Isabel. “The Decoration of the North Chapel of Khenemetneferhedjet Weret I at Dahshur.” PhD. diss., Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Bonn, 2018.
———. “An Amulet Plaque and a Book of the Dead Papyrus from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Some Observations on Gold Amulets.” In Weitergabe: Festschrift für Ursula Rößler-Köhler zum 65. Geburtstag, edited by Ludwig D. Morenz and Amr El Hawary. Göttinger Orientforschungen IV, Reihe Ägypten, 407–427. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2015.
Smyth, Andrew W., Patrick Brewick, Raphael Greenbaum, Manolis Chatzis, Anna Serotta, and Isabel Stünkel. “Vibration Mitigation and Monitoring: A Case Study of Construction in a Museum.” Journal of the American Institute of Conservation 55, no. 1 (2016): 32–55.