It is particularly interesting to think about colours on ancient Egyptian statues. It has long been assumed that the statuary colour palette, similar to the one used on two-dimensional art, followed the same colour-coding conventions. While it is certainly true that both techniques use colour more to transmit messages than to depict reality, the significance of the choices made in three dimensions need to be examined more thoroughly. In recent years, some scholars have had a second look, beyond the accepted symbolism, to understand 'free-standing' pieces existing in a very different context than wall reliefs or painting.
Black, for instance, is sometimes used as artificial shadow, for back-pillars and negative spaces. Similarly, yellow and orange suggest a sun lighting, even in the darkest burial chamber. White is used to emphasise details and texts painted over it.
The colour of the raw materials is similarly used, especially wood and hard stone with veins, or translucent, to breathe life and effect into the statuary. And the latter point may be the most important: statues, even more than relief, were made for cultic, political and social impact, starting in this life. A startling white statue would have caught the slightest light from outside or from a flame in a tomb chapel; on the contrary, a black granite statue would have jumped from darkness to inspire fear.
Colour was used for function, it is necessary to consider its contribution to statuary from that perspective and in its use context.
Further Reading
Angenot, V. and Tiradritti, F. (eds.) (2016). Artists and Colour in ancient Egypt, Proceedings of the colloquium held in Montepulciano, August 22nd – 24th, 2008, Studi Poliziani di Egittologia 1. Montepulciano: Missione Archeologica Italiana a Luxor.
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