Egyptian painting is never quite true, and never quite false.
Without pretending to the faithful imitation of nature, it approaches nature as nearly as it may; sometimes understating, sometimes exaggerating, sometimes substituting ideal or conventional renderings for strict realities.

Water, for instance, is always represented by a flat tint of blue, or by blue covered with zigzag lines in black.

The buff and bluish hues of the vulture are translated into bright red and vivid blue.

The flesh-tints of men are of a dark reddish brown, and the flesh-tints of women are pale yellow.

The colours conventionally assigned to each animate and inanimate object were taught in the schools, and their use handed on unchanged from generation to generation.