Yellow, Red, and Blue: A Symbolic and Linguistic Analysis of Gendered Colors in XIX Dynasty Egyptian Mortuary Art
A study of artistic representations of people in funerary images concentrating on irregularities in skin color can be critical in supporting ancient Egyptian notions of personhood and gender. Egyptian artworks, governed by a canon that included skin color specifications, should be understood as cultural expressions that allow specific productions to communicate broader concepts. Therefore, I have selected two works of the XIX Dynasty Egyptian royalty’s mortuary art from the Valley of the Queens to craft an argument for an androgynous (i.e. gender-fluid) conception of personhood that existed in ancient Egypt. The first image, a yellow monochrome image of the sky goddess, Nut, will be used to establish the symbolic nature of skin color and correct the assumption that gender was absolutely divisive in Egyptian society (Fig. 1). The analysis of the second image, a red-skinned portrait of Queen Nefertari, will utilize an understanding of color symbolism and explore the application of the masculine skin tone to a female (Fig. 2). Specifically, the discussion of Queen Nefertari will be revelatory