Terms and conditions of use
Cartouche fragment of the Aten name, from Boundary Stela S
New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII, reign of Akhenaten 1352 BCE-1336 BCE
Medium
limestone
Measurements
47.6 × 26.5 × 16.4 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Presented by N. de Garis Davies, 1907
© Public Domain
Gallery location
18th Century Decorative Arts - Great Hall Costume Corridor
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
A cartouche is an elliptical shape that contains the hieroglyphs of the king’s and god’s names. It is formed by a length of knotted rope that is folded and tied at the base and signifies ‘encircling protection’. This cartouche fragment comes from one of the boundary stelae that were cut into the limestone cliffs bordering the site of Akhetaten (modern day Amarna), the capital city built by Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti. Akhenaten commissioned sixteen stelae to be cut high up in the cliffs. These enormous round-topped tablets were carved with texts that delineated the boundaries of the city and dedicated the site to the sun god, Aten.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
el-Amarna, Egypt
Accession Number
617-D2
Department
Antiquities
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited