British Museum

What is Egyptian Faience?

Faience in Ancient Egypt Faience, also known as glazed composition, is the oldest glazed ceramic in existence. It was created over 6000 years ago and widely used by the Ancient Egyptians. It is mainly composed of silica and mineral based colourants, and is a precursor to glass, which was invented around 2500 years ago. Faience [...]

Polychromy in Ancient Greece

Changing Preconceptions about Polychromy In recent times, there has been an increasing push from historians, archaeologists and curators to remind the public of one of the greatest misconceptions surrounding ancient art - it wasn't intended to be displayed as simply white marble. In fact, virtually every sculpture and every building was painted in bright colours, [...]

Polychromy in Ancient Greece

Changing Preconceptions about Polychromy In recent times, there has been an increasing push from historians, archaeologists and curators to remind the public of one of the greatest misconceptions surrounding ancient art - it wasn't intended to be displayed as simply white marble. In fact, virtually every sculpture and every building was painted in bright colours, [...]