Faience is a glazed ceramic known for producing bright colours, especially blues turquoises and greens. It is produced from quartz or sand crystals mixed with other compounds, finished with a vitreous alkaline glaze to the surface. Faience glimmers in the light and was believed by the Egyptians to represent rebirth and immortality. Faience first appeared at the end of the fifth millennium B.C., enduring for four millennia in the Nile valley. During the Predynastic period, only green and blue faience occurred, however from the Old Kingdom onwards, alternative colours such as black, yellow and red were added to the palette. The colours had different symbolisms for example, blue was though to reflect fertility and life.
To find out more about the use of faience in Ancient Egyptian culture please see our other relevant blog post: What is Egyptian Faience?
