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Identification of Shellfish Blue on an Ancient Egyptian (Dynasty XVIII) Painted Votive Textile

by Jennifer Poulin, Margaret-Ashley Veall and Chris Paulocik

Heritage 2025, 8(7), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8070257 - 1 Jul 2025

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In 1906, Charles T. Currelly participated in excavations at Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, recovering votive offerings from the Temple of Hathor (Dynasty XVIII, reign of Hatshepsut, 1479–1458 BCE). These objects became part of the founding collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, where Currelly served as the first director. Among the offerings are several paintings on linen cloth. During examination of one painted textile, a border fringe with cream (suspected undyed), yellow and blue looped threads was sampled and analysed for dyes using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The yellow threads were found to contain a tannin-rich dyestuff, likely derived from Rhus spp., a common dye in ancient Egypt. Unexpectedly, the blue threads yielded brominated-indigoid marker compounds, indicating the use of a Murex-derived dye. While purple shellfish dye is rare due to the high cost of its complex production, blue shellfish dye is even more exceptional and has only been identified a handful of times on archaeological textiles. Calculated values of di-brominated to mono-brominated indigoid compounds suggests the dye originated from an indigotin-rich type of Hexaplex trunculus snail, a Mediterranean species. This finding represents a rare example of blue shellfish dye use in ancient Egypt and provides new insights into the dyeing technologies of Dynasty XVIII and the importance of this sky-blue colour in the worship of the goddess Hathor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dyes in History and Archaeology 43)

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44 pages, 53744 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Author Takes a Bow: A Self-Portrait in Assistenza in the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari

by Anastasiia Stupko-Lubczynska

Arts 2024, 13(5), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts13050142 - 20 Sep 2024

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Abstract

In art-historical terms, a self-portrait in assistenza refers to an artist having inserted their own likeness into a larger work. In Renaissance-era art, more than 90 examples have been identified, famously including Botticelli’s Adoration of the Magi (c. 1478/1483). There, Botticelli glances out from the painting, making direct eye contact with the viewer, a feature that appears in other self-portraits of the type. In ancient Egypt, it was not commonly accepted that an artist would lay claim to it, especially when the work’s scale imposed diversification of tasks to be performed or teamwork organized on a workshop basis. This article will present evidence discovered in the Chapel of Hatshepsut in her temple at Deir el-Bahari that can be interpreted as a self-portrait in assistenza and indicates that Djehuty, Overseer of the Treasury under Hatshepsut, took the lead role there. If this identification is valid, the room’s decoration gains an additional layer of meaning and may be “read” in terms of Djehuty’s message, comparable to Botticelli gazing out from his Adoration of the Magi. This ancient Egyptian case will illustrate how that artist-designer, in interweaving subtle indicators of his involvement in the work, expresses awareness both of his intellectual skills and of his pride in creation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ancient Egyptian Art Studies: Art in Motion, a Social Tool of Power and Resistance)

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