Beautiful ceramic reproduction of the Egyptian Cartouche of Queen Cleopatra "father-loving goddess" who was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.
I created these pendants from high-fire clay, air-dried then carved her cartouche. Then in the kiln for several hours, glazed and fired once again.
The pendants are strung onto adjustable satin cords and measure approximately 1-7/8'' long by 7/8'' wide by 3/16'' thick ( 45mm x 22mm x 4mm).
Ancient Egyptian Cartouches:
'Cartouche' is 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.
