Mummy brown, also known as Egyptian brown or Caput Mortuum, [1]: 254 [2] was a rich brown bituminous pigment with good transparency, sitting between burnt umber and raw umber in tint. [3] The pigment was made from the flesh of mummies mixed with white pitch and myrrh.

Aug 16, 2019 · Mummy Brown was a pigment of paint that became popular in Europe during the 16th century. The rich brown color was made from grinding up t Egyptian mummies, both human and feline. [1] It was prized for its transparency, and was used for painting shadows, glazing, and flesh-tones in both oil and watercolor works of art. [2]

Apr 2, 2014 · Mummy Brown was a fugitive colour, meaning it faded easily. While it was easy for 19th century painters to give up using it due to ick, gross it was still manufactured long after.

Mummy Brown was a remarkable pigment that had its origins in ancient Egypt and became popular in European painting from about the sixteenth century. To many people’s surprise, shock, or even disgust, it was exactly what its name implied – a rich brown pigment made primarily from the flesh of mummies.

Mummy brown, Egyptian brown, or caput mortuum (literally, “dead head” in medieval Latin) was a rich pigment varying in hue from burnt to raw umber, made primarily from white pitch, myrrh, and ground-up ancient Egyptians and their pets.

Apr 19, 2022 · The ground bones of ancient Egyptian mummies were used to create a unique shade of paint known as Mummy Brown used in 19th century paintings. Most people today would probably associate Egyptian mummies with museums.

Mar 19, 2019 · Believe it or not, there used to be a color pigment known as Mummy Brown. To your surprise — or revulsion — the pigment production relied on using real mummies, both human and feline, dug out from ancient Egyptian sites.

Sep 4, 2018 · Just as many other medicines became paint pigments, mummy brown quickly followed suit. The ground flesh produced a rust-like translucent color that many artists revered (though some reported it as cracking or fading easily).

Oct 31, 2022 · Mummy brown paint (also known as 'Caput Mortuum' – which translates to 'dead man's head' – or 'Egyptian Brown') is made from grinding up the ancient Egyptian dead. Mummies were ground up, and this 'mummia' (powdered human …

Jan 1, 2024 · Produced by mixing powdered mummy flesh with myrrh and white pitch (a polymer), “mummy brown” was a very popular paint color in the 16th and 17th centuries. There was something about the mummies that provided a rich, warm pigment painters quickly came to love.