The blue lotus or water-lily, is a floating aquatic plant that is known for it's colorful and aromatic flowers. Many ancient cultures found the blue lotus to be of great use and of esteemed status. In China it was regarded as a religious symbol, and a symbol of feminine beauty. The Greeks also admired the blue lotus. When the blue lotus was used in their artwork it was triangular shaped when viewed from the side.
Flowers occur frequently in their art, with the blue lotus and papyrus being the most common.
The idea of the blue lotus flower was also associated with cups and bowls. To the Ancient Egyptians, the blue lotus was the most perfect type of flower. The evolution of life was associated with the origin of solid matter. They paralleled biogony with cosmogony. The blue lotus is shaped the same as the Nile and its tributaries, when viewed from above.