Introduction

In Christian religious paintings, coloured halos have been used to describe the status of the image. The lowest order of colour in Christian ritual was the funerary black, as laid down by Innocent III in the 12th century. Green was an everyday colour in the ritual of the church. Blue was a celestial colour, while violet was penitential. White was consecratory and red was for feasts of the passions. Generally speaking, the most prestigious colour was gold, as used in the halos of God.

The Glorification of Wisdom (Florence 13th CE)