The lotus flower appearing in Egyptian hieroglyphics, representing the sun, creation, and rebirth. The Egyptians believed that in the beginning of time, the lotus blossomed from the water and released the sun. The flower closes and sinks underwater at night, and it rises and reopens again in the morning, revealing its petals. A reference to the daily appearance of the newly born sun god in a lotus flower. They were also seen as a valuable commodity, due to their fragrance and appearance. It can be found in various forms of artwork in Egypt; on tomb wall paintings, coffin decoration, and jewelry.
The photo gallery icon Apple uses in its interface is similar to the lotus flower Egyptians used in hieroglyphics. The icon consists of a ring of ovals, used to create a round flower-like shape. Each oval shape in the icon seems to represent a portion of the color spectrum- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The color wheel was originally developed by bending the color spectrum into a circle.