Beautiful ceramic reproductions of the Egyptian Cartouche of the Pharoah Akhenaten who ruled alongside his wife, Queen Nefertiti during the 18th. Dynasty (around 1300 BC).
I created these pendants from high-fire clay, air dried then carved Akhenaten's royal Cartouche. Then in the kiln for several hours, glazed and fired once again.
The pendants are strung onto adjustable satin cords and measure approximately 1-5/8'' long by 7/8'' wide by 3/16'' thick ( 39mm x 23mm x 4mm).
Ancient Egyptian Cartouches:
'Cartouche' is actually a French word meaning 'gun cartridge'. When Napoleon's soldiers were in Egypt, they nicknamed this shape 'cartouche' because it reminded them of the shape of their gun cartridges, or bullets. At the time, people could not read the hieroglyphic writing, so they did not know that the cartouche surrounded the name of the pharaoh. 'Cartouche' became so commonly used that it has remained the standard name for the shape around the name of an Egyptian pharaoh or queen.