Thutmose II Egyptian Cartouche Necklaces

Beautiful ceramic reproductions of the Egyptian Cartouche of the Pharoah Thutmose II who ruled alongside his wife (and half-sister), Queen Hatshepsut, during the 18th. Dynasty.

I created the pendants from high-fire clay, air-dried then carved the royal Cartouche. Then in the kiln for several hours, glazed and fired once again.

The pendants have been strung onto adjustable 1mm black satin cords and measure approx 1-5/8'' long by 1'' wide by 3/16'' thick ( 40mm x 25mm x 5mm).

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.

Thutmose II was an 18th-dynasty king (reigned c. 1482–79 BCE) of ancient Egypt who suppressed a revolt in Nubia, Egypt’s territory to the south, and also sent a punitive expedition to Palestine against some Bedouins.
Thutmose II was married to his royal half-sister, Hatshepsut, at an early age.