How Black People Paint Themselves

Egyptian brown is one of the most popular colors used to render Black skin tones.

Kushite prince

Egyptian nobleman/family

King Ay performing the "Opening of the mouth" ritual on the "mummy" of Tutankhamen - Tomb of Tutankhamen

Dead Egyptian: The recently deceased is painted with white skin in Egyptian art.

Somali man (Punt)

Egyptian workers

Kushite nobles

Nefertari - (right)  Women (right; below, right) depicted in the traditional Egyptian yellow complexion, the color of weakness.  This is driven by the same masculine ideology which depicts the wife of the Pharaoh in colossal statuary as a tiny standing figure whose head doesn't even reach as high as the seated pharaoh's knee.

Ahmose Nefertari - Wife of Ahmose. (right) She was a queen of great authority, which is why her skin is painted black.  The traditional color for Egyptian women was yellow, not because they were actually that complexion, but yellow indicates a physical weakness vis-a-vis the Egyptian male.  However, politically speaking,  Egyptian women were far from weak in Egyptian society.

The Goddess Hathor with Egyptian gold complexion.  The color of the gods.

Tutankhamen (right) being reborn, his brown skin turning to black - the color of transformation and resurrection. The God Ptah (Toh) - "Lord of Resurrection", holding the sceptre (Wose), sits in judgment.  His blue complexion shows that he is "god of creation and regeneration." This is a purely symbolic representation.  We know from Tutankhamen's mummy that he was already black complexioned, in a Michael Jordan kinda way.

Egyptian Noble family (right).  All have the same brown complexions, illustrating social equality.  This really became a more common rendition after the Amarna revolution of Pharaoh Ikhnaton.

Egyptian Skin Tones - Symbolic & Conventional     Egyptian male (dark)      Egyptian brown skin.....masculine, strong      Black skin.....................powerful, reborn      White skin....................recently deceased   Old Egyptian male (light)      Yellow skin....................weak, frail   Egyptian female (light)      Yellow skin....................feminine, weak      Egyptian brown skin.....equal of men (Amarna period)      Black skin.....................powerful, reborn   Egyptian gods        Gold skin......................flesh of the gods      Blue skin......................the cosmic waters, the firmament      Green skin...................life (i.e., plants)      Black skin.....................resurrection, sacred, holy, benevolent