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. During the Predynastic period only green and blue faience occurred, however from the Old Kingdom and onwards alternative colours such as black, yellow and red were added to the palette. It was used to create a wide range of items, from beads and amulets, to bowls and cups, due to its mass production. It was used to frequently imitate more expensive materials, for example turquoise faience to semi-precious turquoise. The idea in doing so meant that the apotropaic values associated with a particular colour were still represented by the imitating faience. The values were not necessarily connected to the material alone. Faience mummy masks, consisting of strung beads, were typical of the Late period. The mask itself would be part of a shroud, linked to a winged scarab (as seen here) and four sons of Horus.
To find out more about the use of faience in Ancient Egyptian culture please see our other relevant blog post: What is Egyptian Faience?
