How Egyptian blue is made:
| Origin: artificial | identical with the mineral cuprorivaite (at Mineralogy Database) |
 King Ramses III. (1170 B.C.) The blue helmet with golden serpent is the symbol of royalty |
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| Artificial variety of pigment | Heating a mixture of a calcium compound (carbonate, sulfate or hydroxide), copper compound (oxide or malachite) and quartz or silica gel in proportions that correspond to a ratio of 4 SiO2 : 1 CaO : 1 CuO to a temperature of 900°C using a flux of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate or borax. The mixture is then maintained at a temperature of 800°C for a period ranging from 10 to 100 hours. |
The ground pigment:
Pile of ground Egyptian blue
Other blues
(intro) - Azurite - Cerulean Blue - Cobalt blue - Egyptian blue - Prussian blue - Smalt - Ultramarine
(intro) - Azurite - Cerulean Blue - Cobalt blue - Egyptian blue - Prussian blue - Smalt - Ultramarine
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