Art Masterpiece: Egyptian Art and Symbolism: “Cartouche” of Tuthmosis III - 1479-25 B.C.

Artist: Unknown

Keywords: Shenu/Cartouche, Hieroglyphics, Culture, Shen/Oval Ring, and Subtractive Art Technique

Grade: 5th

Activity: Students will create a cartouche of their name using ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs & symbols on a gold & black scratch board

Egyptian Art and the Meaning of its Symbols:

Shenu is the ancient name for Cartouche (French). A Cartouche is an oval frame which surrounds hieroglyphs that make up the name of an Egyptian God or person of royalty. The oval ring, “Shen”, encompassing the cartouche, is a symbol of eternity. It has the magical power to protect the name that is written inside it. Hieroglyphs are characters in which symbols represent objects (such as tools, animals, or boats) and ideas (such as motion, time, and joy). In the Egyptian tradition, the oval represents a cocoon, from where all life begins. In Egyptian teachings, the Sun-god Ra was born out of this Cartouche forever binding him to universal creation, the source from which all love comes. The ancient Greeks first used the term hieroglyph (meaning "sacred carving") to describe these decorative characters. There were between 700 and 800 basic symbols in ancient Egypt, today there are hundreds more.

Subtractive Art Technique Process: The subtractive process requires you to take something away from a particular material; much like a sculptor would do when working with marble, clay or wood. If you use an eraser with charcoal, it is also subtractive, because as you try to achieve the right balance of shading and value, you remove more/less of the charcoal. While working with scratchboards, your students will also need to use this subtractive process in removing the black coating.

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***Please note: Students must leave their symbols black; the rest of the black coating surrounding the symbol should be removed.

Materials: • 8.5”x11” Gold and Black scratch boards, cut in half(horizontally), then cut in the shape of an oval/rounded rectangle (template is provided, located with the scratchboards) • Stylus Pen and knives for etching • Egyptian Alphabet and Symbols sheet • Black cardstock cut out in the shape of a cartouche (template is also with the scratchboards) • White crayon (optional)

** Please Note ** Make sure students do not scratch too hard on the scratch board surface, if they do, they will also remove the gold coating. Students must remember the subtractive process and the contrast between their black name ‘symbols’ and the gold background they are trying to achieve. Please see sample on the sample table to show this contrast.

Process: After discussion on Egyptian Art/Symbolism and the vocabulary terms listed above: 1. Hand out the Egyptian alphabet and symbols sheets to students for them to review. 2. After they have identified the letters in their name have them raise their hand to receive the scratch board and pencil for drawing the symbols for the letters in their name. Have student write their name on back of scratchboard. 3. Explain that Egyptians often stacked their symbols Top to Bottom instead of writing left to right. Please have them write their symbols this way since the cartouche template is made for a vertical cartouche. 4. Pass out styluses AFTER they have drawn their symbols in their name. 5. Have them trace/etch along their drawn symbols, carefully scratching off the pencil on the black coating, revealing the gold color underneath. 6. Once the symbols are revealed with a thin gold outline, students will then need to subtract/scratch around the OUTSIDE of the symbol, revealing the gold, while maintaining the symbol in black. 7. If there is enough room on the cartouche piece, they may add more symbols if desired.

**Students may not have enough time to finish etching around all symbols revealing the gold oval cartouche, as this is a time consuming activity. If this is the case, please ask the teacher if she can have them finish their etching during free time in class that week. My

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teacher took the scratchboards and styluses with him, and had their finished scratchboards ready for pick-up a couple of days later. Before attaching the scratchboards to the pre-cut black cardstock cartouche, I wrote their initials on back in white crayon, to prepare them for display.  You can request these be displayed on our Art Masterpiece Wall in the Library, unless the teacher would prefer displaying them in her classroom!

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Hieroglyph Alphabet

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Shen Ring (Shenu) - “Eternity”

Ka (ka) – “Concience”

Nefer (nefer) – “Beauty”

Sail (hetau) – Breath

Scarab Beetle (kheper) – Sunrise Pool (she) “Water”

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Template

for Gold/Black

Scratch Board Only

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